The Wings of Trust
by AnxiousTerrier
Summary: When a terrible accident took the lives of Toby's parents at age 3, Sarah and Jareth stepped up to the mark to raise him. Now at age 17 he is learning about life, loyalty, and falling in love. But with the unexpected news of a royal babe on the way, can Sarah find faith to let Toby spread his wings and fly as she fulfills her role as new mother and Goblin Queen? *Full of Fluff!*
1. Chapter 1

Toby was finding it extremely difficult to take his eyes off the vision of beauty that was sitting beside him, gazing down studiously at her textbook, as he should have been doing. Everything about her was perfect. Her button nose that was covered in freckles, her smooth, baby-soft porcelain skin than always smelled so good, the way dimples appeared on her cheeks every time she smiled, her beautiful fiery-red wavy hair that seemed to glow in the sunlight.

_Perfect_, he thought.

And her laugh. God, how he loved nothing more than the sound of her cute little laugh. It meant she was happy, and her happiness was very high on Toby's list of priorities. They had only been dating for six months, but he felt like she was his whole world.

"Toby? Hey, are you listening to me?" A sweet, delicate voice snapped him out of his thoughts and brought him back down to planet Earth. She was giving him that concerned look again

"I'm sorry, Scarlett. Was I doing it again?" He asked, knowing full well what the answer was.

"Come on, stop messing about." She replied a little sternly, yet with a small smiled on her face. "Our Chemistry test is tomorrow, and you know how much of a tough grader Mr. Bennett is."

Toby puffed out his chest in a macho sort of way, letting his girlfriend know he wasn't worried.

"Ppffftt I'm not scared of Mr Bennett." He scoffed defiantly, throwing his arms behind his head, showing how relaxed he was. No teacher was going to push him around. Even if said teachers was, in Toby's view, out to get him.

"No," Scarlett replied, "but your sister did say that if you failed another Chemistry test then you would…what was it...?" She looked up to the air and placed her index finger on her chin in mock thinking. "Oh yeah, never see the light of day again."

Toby laughed at the idea that Sarah would ever hurt him. It was simply a ridiculous concept. She had raised him since he was three years old, and though she could be strict at times she would never be cruel.

Tragically, their parents had died in a plane crash while attending a wedding on Karen's side of the family overseas. It was extremely unfortunate, and what's even more chilling was that Toby was meant to go to that wedding with his parents. It was only for the bride and groom changing their mind about having children attend the wedding. Sarah had professed to him how thankful she was that they did.

Toby didn't have any memories of that fateful day, and he could only imagine how heart-breaking it was for Sarah when she was told the awful news. She was only eighteen years old and suddenly had a toddler to look after, a house to run, bills to pay and everything else that comes with adulthood, thrust upon her with no choice, and no other family to help her. He would of course never admit it to her face, but Toby thought his big sister was remarkable and would always be grateful for what she did for him.

"She doesn't scare me either." He said rather riskily, moving his eyes shiftily round to room to check Sarah hadn't slipped in from work unnoticed. "Besides, it's your fault I keep getting bad grades in Chemistry."

Scarlett made a little "uh!" noise and threw her pen down at the dining table in protest. She raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms over her chest. Toby noted how adorable she looked when she was annoyed at him.

"Oh really?" She pouted "And just how exactly is you failing Chemistry, _my_ doing?"

Toby smiled and moved in closer to her. He gazed into her dark blue eyes. They were like twinkling sapphires that glistened.

"Because you're far too pretty for me to focus on anything else."

Those sapphires immediately lit up and a bashful smile took form on Scarlett's lips. Man, she was so amazing. Toby took this perfect moment to deliver her a small, but meaningful kiss, which she sweetly returned. They were just seventeen, but he already knew he loved this girl. She was intelligent, funny, beautiful and she always made him feel good. He was completely smitten. Though he would never let his friends know this. He did have a rep to uphold.

"Ok, Romeo." She smiled as she closed her chemistry book and put it into her school bag. "I have to go now. My mom and dad have this big fancy dinner tonight with one of my dad's clients. As usual, I get stuck babysitting."

Toby regretfully helped her gather up her belongings and walked her to the front door. He did wish she didn't have to babysit her two sisters so much.

When they got to the front door Toby opened it for her as she put on her cardigan.

"I could come over if you like. We could take the study session to your house when the kids are in bed." He offered.

Scarlett smiled at him and shook her head, causing her curls to fall over her face.

"I think you'd better stay here and study" She said, adjusting her hair. "If, as you say, I am such a distraction."

Toby frowned. He really didn't want them to be done for the night.

"Damn, I knew I shouldn't have revealed my secret. Of course, you would use it against me."

Scarlett giggled. "It's no secret that you suck at Chemistry." She laughed and Toby couldn't help joining in on her laughter.

"Oh yeah, well…I'll show you just how much I suck at chemistry." He said.

The door was pushed shut again and he took her into his arms and kissed her more passionately than he ever had in his teenage life. When they came up for air, Toby noticed her cheeks had started to blush. She looked even more adorable.

_Wow_, he thought. _That was wonderful_.

"Point taken." She whispered with another giggle, once again pushing her hair behind her ears. "Now I really do have to go. Bye, baby."

"Bye, Princess."

He opened the door once more and she left. Toby watched protectively as she got into her car and gave him a little wave as she drove off.

When she was out of sight Toby closed the door and sighed. That girl literally took his breath away.

"Ah, young love." Came a British male voice behind him.

Caught off guard, Toby jumped and spun round. Though he knew instantly who the voice belonged to.

Toby was quite used to having Jareth show up at their home at any given moment. He had known him for a very long time, in fact, as long as he could remember. Growing up, Sarah had told him all about The Labyrinth, the Goblin City and of course, The Goblin King himself. He didn't know why, but Toby even from a young age knew that magic, faeries and faraway lands really did exist. They weren't just from fairy tales, as human children were usually taught. He believed and accepted that Sarah was telling the truth. She was very open and honest about it all, even the wishing him away part. He didn't even mind, if he were honest. Jareth had shown him the Labyrinth on a few occasions, and it was a pretty neat place. Toby, as a result of this had bonded with Jareth over the years and had a very high opinion of him. He was sort of like a father figure, with a distinctive sense of style and a cool accent. And, oh yeah, he was a _freaking Fae King_.

"Woah, hey! Jareth. You scared me there." He half laughed half sighed with relief.

"Really?" Jareth asked, a tad confused "I would have thought after all these years you would be accustomed to me popping in unannounced. Although…" He raised an eyebrow and Toby saw a ghost of a grin flicker on his lips. "I see that the majority of your attention was consumed by a certain young lady."

"Oh, uh, Scarlett? Yeah, she's alright, I guess." He answered calmly, trying to downplay the utter adoration he actually held for her. He knew Jareth wasn't stupid and he couldn't outwit him.

"I see." He grinned. Toby felt his face beginning to flush a bit and cleared his throat a few times.

"Umm, if you're looking for Sarah, I'm afraid she's not here. She called a little while ago and told me to tell you she had to work late tonight."

Toby noticed Jareth immediately frowned and placed his hands on his hips, cocking his head to the side. He looked quite irritated.

"Again?" He asked with a sigh. "That's the third time this week. Does that woman ever partake in anything in addition to work?

"Yeah, she's been pretty busy lately." Toby said absentmindedly. But then an idea popped into his head. "But, you know, if you have some time to kill, I'm not doing anything. Perhaps I could go visit your kingdom with you." He said hopefully, knowing that he was chancing his arm, as he reminded himself earlier, Jareth was not stupid.

Jareth chuckled lightly and crossed his arms. A few tuts escaped from his mouth and he shook his head slowly and pityingly.

"A rather good attempt, my dear boy. But your sister already informed me that you have an important exam tomorrow and are to throw yourself into your studies tonight and participate in no other activities."

Toby rolled his eyes. He might as well just be arrested by the fun police and be flung into jail.

"Fine." He said gingerly, crossing the room to retrieve his Chemistry book from the dining room where he and Scarlett had previously been using it. He flopped himself down on the sofa and opened the book

"I'll just sit here for all eternity reading this useless book filled with useless information that will have no bearing on me whatsoever when I graduate, until I die of boredom." He said.

"That's the spirit." Jareth said jokingly. "Oh, and before I depart, I must warm you not to disobey Sarah's orders. If you attempt to visit that enchanting young lady, I shall know about it, and I need not say more about how Sarah would feel about that?"

He held up a crystal ball in his gloved hand before throwing it into the air and disappearing in a cloud of glitter and magic.

Toby sighed and looked down at his book trying to concentrate on the blasted contents.

"Man, I wish I had magic." He said longingly to himself. "Then I could do whatever I wanted. And the first thing I would do is ban Chemistry for good!" He snickered to himself. "Ooh, then I would conjure up a huge mansion with a heated pool and a gigantic tv with every channel, and a"-

"I don't see any studying." Jareth's voice, now slightly sterner than before rumbled through the air and made Toby jump.

"Ok, ok, I'm getting to it now, jeez."

He very reluctantly forced himself to start taking in what the darn Chemistry book said. Copper this, and Zinc that. It was all just a bunch of nonsense that he didn't care about and had no desire to analyse further. Despite his unfavourable opinion, he couldn't help but smile to himself. Jareth really did care about him, just as much as Sarah did. His mother and father may not be here to love him, but at least Toby knew there were two people in his life who he could most definitely rely on.

* * *

A/N- Thank you for reading! I have never written a fanfic where Toby is older, I hope you are enjoying it. I am planning to write the story from multiple POV's to keep it interesting. I also imagine it will be a shorter fic. If you'd like me to continue, let me know!


	2. Chapter 2

The huge gulp of red wine was not enough to take away the stressful week that Sarah had had. Being a high school teacher was very rewarding, but dear God, it couldn't half be a living nightmare at times. Three times this week alone she had meetings with parents about unruly behaviour, swearing, fighting and sadly, bullying. Only one set of parents out of the three had shown any remote interest in their little darling's waywardness, and Sarah had to ask herself why she was surprised the children in question were so delinquent, when their parents seemed to not give a toss about them. God forbid they show a little support and concern for their child's future.

But it was Friday night, school was out for the weekend and she was perched comfortably on her sofa sharing a bottle of wine with her beloved Goblin King. It was little things like this that made Sarah happy. When she was spending time with Jareth her problems seemed non-existent. Plus, the wine helped.

Sarah held the glass up to her lips and chugged the remainder of it in a most unladylike fashion.

"Charming." Jareth said to her playfully.

Sarah tittered. "Hey, don't judge. I've had a hectic week." She said, putting her empty glass on the coffee table and snuggling into Jareth with her head on his shoulder. She felt exhausted.

"I know, precious. I have barely seen you all week." He said into her hair as he showered it with kisses. "Oh, how I long for the day that you become my Queen and I can have you all to myself." He whispered into her ear, sensually kissing the top of her head.

Sarah's heart slightly sank at that statement. It wasn't that she wasn't looking forward to being Jareth's Queen and ruling by his side in the Goblin Kingdom. She loved him and of course wanted nothing more. But the reality was that she would have to leave Toby here in the Aboveground. She loved her little brother and she was concerned about him running his own life. He was only seventeen after all, granted that when he graduated, he would be eighteen, but her conscious would still not let her feel at peace with it. She had voiced these opinions to Jareth many times, and Sarah couldn't fault the man; he had been very patient and understanding.

Her attention was taken away from these thoughts as Jareth trailed hot kisses down her neck, which made her skin erupt deliciously in goose bumps. Her head automatically fell to one side giving his lips better access.

"Mmm, that feels good." She breathed quietly, closing her eyes and enjoying the sweet sensation.

Jareth took her into his arms and gently laid her across the sofa, planting kisses on her throat, collar bone and dipping even further down. Sarah's breaths became deep and long-drawn as she slipped further and further into Jareth's trance, embracing his sensuality. Her hands became entangled in his hair as he started to unbutton the top buttons of her shirt and she could feel his hot breath caress her skin. _Heaven_, she thought.

But, to both of their dismay, the sensational moment was cut short for the two lovers when the harsh sound of the front door suddenly bursting open immediately tore them apart.

"Sarah? Are you here?" Toby's voiced called from the hallway.

"Yes, I'm in here." She called back, frantically restoring her clothes back to their presentable state like a naughty teenager.

Toby stuck his head round the door and smiled.

"Oh, hey, Jareth!" He called cheerfully.

"Good evening, Toby." He nodded calmly. He never lost his composure.

"Can I borrow the car?" Toby said. "I wanna take Scarlett to the movies."

"Uh, Sure, Toby, the keys are on the kitchen counter." Sarah smiled at him, still feeling rather awkward and she sure was sure her cheeks were starting to turn a fetching shade of crimson.

Thankfully Toby didn't seem to notice that he had intruded on a passionate moment as he quickly retrieved the car keys and bounced back out the front door shouting "Thanks! See you later."

Sarah gazed at Jareth and sighed with relief.

"You know, for a minute there I thought _I_ was the teenager." She giggled. It was ridiculous, really, she was thirty-two years old.

Jareth pulled her in closer to him again and sniggered. "Well, precious you have nothing to fear. Toby is gone for the evening; we have the whole house to ourselves and we have this delicious bottle of wine. Now, where were we?" He flashed his devilishly handsome smile that made Sarah weak at the knees and sank his lips back into her neck and she gasped in pleasure. Sarah was more than ready to resume the passion with him. She could never resist his advances; his scent, his touch, his charm, all combined into one delicious blend that she thoroughly enjoyed the flavour of.

Sarah relaxed and allowed her body to loosen at his touch. But just as quickly as she did, a wave of nausea washed over and she was forced to stop Jareth from going any further. She put her hand on his chest and lightly applied pressure to it so he knew not to continue.

Concerned, Jareth sat up and looked at her.

"Are you alright, my love?" He asked worriedly. "Have I done something to upset you?"

"No, not at all." She said placing her hand to her mouth to ensure she didn't vomit everywhere. _What a lovely evening that would be_, she thought sarcastically to herself. "I just haven't felt too well this week. I think I'm coming down with something."

"Well I can't say I'm surprised, precious." He said lovingly, giving her a kiss on the forehead. "What, with all these late nights at work and private tutoring every spare minute. I daresay you've run yourself ragged and need to rest."

Silently, Sarah agreed with him. She had been working an awful lot, especially the last few weeks. In addition to her normal teacher duties, there had been a plethora of school outings, parents' meetings and PTA events. Furthermore, she had been tutoring some of her students who needed extra help and her evenings had become hers no more. It was demanding and draining, but she was working all the hours she could so that she could build up a trust fund for Toby when she left to become Goblin Queen. She already felt guilty enough without leaving him with no savings.

"I'm sorry." She said quietly, feeling awful that the evening had been ruined. Her and Jareth barely got to see each other and when they finally did, she felt too ill to do anything. But Jareth, ever understanding as he was, smiled sympathetically at her.

"Oh, Sarah. You don't need to apologise for feeling unwell."

Jareth stood up and swept Sarah into his arms like a character from an old black and white movie.

"Why don't you retire to bed early, precious? I don't have too many royal obligations tomorrow. I'll return then, and hopefully you will be feeling well."

Sarah smiled and leaned her head into his chest as he carried her upstairs to her bed. Feeling soft and warm in his arms, her eyes gave way to sleep before he had even got to the top of the stairs. She adored this man so much more than she could ever express.

* * *

It was back. That curdling, churning feeling in the pit of her stomach aroused Sarah from her sleep. He eyes flew open and she sat up, willing herself not to throw up. Sarah looked at her bedside alarm clock. It was only 11.30pm. She hadn't even been asleep that long. She groaned miserably and leaned back onto her pillow. Sarah knew exactly why she was feeling so ill. It was stress. She was completely torn between wanting to continue being there for Toby, and starting her new life with Jareth, finally marrying him and starting a family.

"Life isn't fair." She whined, reverting back to her sixteen-year-old self. If only she could go back to the days where her biggest responsibility was not forgetting her lines at drama club. Another rush of sickness gripped at Sarah and this time she knew she had to run to the bathroom to save her bedsheets.

A few minutes later she emerged feeling rotten. Her head felt light and her mouth was dry. She needed some water and began to head downstairs, carefully making sure she didn't lose her footing. When she got to the kitchen, she saw the light was already on and Toby was standing at the counter drinking a glass of soda.

"Hey, kiddo." She said as cheerfully as she could, given her current mood. "How was the movie?"

Toby shrugged his shoulders "Meh, it was ok. I've definitely seen better." He said, taking a swig of his juice. "Are you ok, sis? I thought I heard you being sick."

"Oh, I'm fine." She said breezily, not wanting to worry him. "I shouldn't have had so much wine." She laughed nervously. She had only had two glasses.

"Oh…" He said, sounding a little sceptical.

Sarah walked over to retrieve a glass from the kitchen cupboard and poured herself some water, hoping it would help her feel better. She downed the whole glass in one go and still felt thirsty, and now could feel a headache coming on_. Oh, this was just perfect_, she scowled herself.

"Oh!" Toby said excitedly and Sarah turned around with her eyebrows raised, waiting for him to continue his seemingly terrific sentiment. "I have great news. Scarlett's cousin, Liam, is an auto mechanic and owns his own garage. He's given me a part-time job and said that when I graduate next year, he will take me on as a full-time worker!"

Toby's eyes lit up and Sarah felt genuinely pleased for her brother. For as long as he could talk, he had been obsessed with cars and always wanted to work with them. In fact, he still had all his childhood models still in their original boxes. This news made a sense of relief wash over Sarah. Knowing Toby had a job lined up made her feel a lot better about having to leave him.

"Toby, that's fantastic!" She congratulated him.

"I know! Liam's going to train me up and put me through courses and I get to fix all sorts of cool cars." He said, full of exhilaration. Sarah loved to see him so passionate about something other than video games and football. "Man, I can't wait till graduation." He smiled.

Sarah paused, the feeling of anxiety tugging at hear heart again.

"Toby," She said wearingly, "after you graduate…" Sarah took a deep breath, trying to phrase her next sentence carefully. "Uh…it's just." She couldn't do this. She couldn't tell the kid that she was planning to disappear to another world with Jareth and leave him to fend for himself. She couldn't upset him like that.

Toby looked at her, waiting for her to finish. "What is it, Sarah? Whatever it is you can tell me." He smiled at her and she thought her heart was going to break in two from guilt.

"I just wanted to say that I'm so incredibly proud of you. After you graduate, I know you're going to do great at your new job."

A huge smile broke out on his face.

"Thanks."

Sarah nodded. "I'm going to go to bed now, kiddo. I'll see you tomorrow." She said. And this was the last conscious moment Sarah remembered, as the room began to spin and then everything went black.

* * *

A bright light shone in Sarah's face and her head was throbbing. A lot. The light grew brighter and brighter until it was almost blinding and just when she thought she could take it no more, a tall silhouette took form and gradually came into focus. The light got dimmer and Sarah recognised the figure. It was none other than her love.

"Sarah?" Jareth's voice drifted into hear ears bringing her closer to full consciousness. "Darling, are you alright?"

Sarah blinked a few times and brought her hands up to rub her eyes. Her right hand ached terribly and felt like something was stabbing into it. Where was she?

When Sarah took her hands away from her eyes, she was surrounded by white walls and a smell that was familiar but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

She looked over at Jareth, confused. "Where am I?" She asked, half dazed.

"You're in hospital, precious." He said tensely. "Toby called me in a fretful worry; you collapsed at home and we brought you straight here."

Sarah looked down at her right hand to see what was causing the pain. It was a cannula and she could see that she was hooked up to a drip. What on earth had caused her to faint?

"Where's Toby?" She asked, noticing he wasn't in the room with them.

"He's gone home to get you some supplies. The doctors want to keep you here for observation."

"Why?" She asked, puzzled. "Jareth, what the hell is going on? Why did I faint?"

"Well, that's why they wish to observe you, love. They want to make sure you're in good health." He took her left hand into his own and a concerned look fell over his face. "Sarah, the doctor told me that they have carried out many different tests. Some of which I don't quite understand. However, they did find something that you should know about."

Sarah looked into his eyes and started to panic. "Oh, god what? I'm dying, aren't I?" She said, tears springing to her eyes.

"Of course not!" Jareth said with a deep laugh. "Precious, the reason you have been feeling so ill is because…you're pregnant." He smiled so widely that it reached his beautiful mismatched eyes.

_No!_ She thought. _It's not what she had planned. Not yet. It was too soon._


	3. Chapter 3

The walls seemed to close in around Sarah, as her head spun, and her mouth became dry.

_Pregnant_

The word swam round her head over and over, for what felt like hours. So many emotions coursed through her veins in that split second; panic, shock, stress, disbelief.

"You could seem a _little_ happier, love." Jareth's voice broke her out of her thoughts. Sarah looked over to him and he had a kind smile on his face. His eyes were twinkling with devotion and passion, and it was very clear to her that Jareth was already in love with this baby.

Sarah blinked and smiled back to him. "I. I am happy." She stammered nervously, though she wasn't entirely sure if it was the truth. "Just a little shocked is all. Um, Jareth, did the doctor say how far along I am?"

"Around six weeks." He replied excitedly "According to the levels of something called 'hGC'. Whatever in the Underground that may be."

"Human Chorionic Gonadotropin." Sarah replied, casually, her mind drifting elsewhere. Jareth raised an eyebrow at her.

"Well, I _am_ a biology teacher." She told him. "Does Toby know about any of this?" She asked him nervously, internally praying that the answer was no.

"I have not yet informed him. I wanted you to know the nature of the matter first."

Relief flooded through Sarah. She did not want her brother to know their news so soon. She needed time to get her head around it first.

"Jareth, I would really like to keep it between us, for the time being. It's not customary here to let people know about the pregnancy until the first scan. Please, until we know everything is alright." She told him, hoping he would understand.

"Of course, precious." He said thoughtfully, kissing her hand. "Whatever makes you feel more comfortable."

* * *

Sarah threw her keys on the coffee table in her living room and sank down into the sofa with a long sigh. Teaching was hard. Tutoring was hard. School events were hard. But taking part in all three of them while being ten weeks pregnant was insufferably difficult. Especially a pregnancy that hadn't been at all planned and the timing was, well, rather inconvenient. All she wanted to do was curl up into a ball and sleep for twelve hours, then wake up and not have her stomach feel like it was permanently set on a spin cycle.

"Ohhh." She groaned miserably as, yet again, as another surge of nausea swept through her. Sarah lifted her hand to rub her barely-there bump in an attempt to make the awful sensation subside. "This morning sickness will be the death of me." She moaned to herself, closing her eyes, willing the damn thing to just go away.

"Allow me." Said a calming voice, and Sarah felt, what could only be, Jareth's hands upon her stomach, making soothing strokes and circles over her skin. She melted further into the sofa enjoying the relief Jareth's actions seemed to bring.

"Why don't you take a nap, darling?" He asked her.

Sarah opened her eyes and looked at him longingly. She would love nothing more than to take a nap, but she had to leave soon to get back to school. The PTA were having a bake sale tonight and she needed to be there to run it.

"I can't. School stuff."

Sarah saw Jareth's brow crease and a frown appeared across his lips, and her stomach sank. She knew where this was going to lead.

"But you've just done a full day at work, plus an hour of tutoring straight after."

Sarah sighed in irritation. Did he think she was doing this for fun? She needed the money to leave to Toby. "The joys of being a teacher." She uttered.

"Sarah," Jareth said, rather wearingly, his eyes clouded with what seemed like annoyance. "At some point you are going to have to slow down."

Sarah sighed loudly "Oh, not this again." She said tersely.

"You must rest. All this stress is not beneficial to the baby." It's been all he could talk about for the last four weeks. And frankly, it was getting on Sarah's nerves. She wasn't an invalid who needed to be babysat.

"Now, you will cancel that event and have an early night. It's a much more suitable activity for a woman in your condition, you need your sleep."

Sarah's eyes narrowed and a sudden rush of anger started bubbling in the pit of her stomach.

"Stop it, Jareth!" She shot at him, unable to hold in her rage any longer.

"Stop what?" He asked, confused.

"Micro-managing me. From the moment we found out I was pregnant; all I have heard is 'don't do this and don't do that'." She stood up from the sofa and towered over him with her hands on her hips. "I have had enough of it. I am pregnant, it does not mean I am incapable of knowing what I need, and what I can and cannot do."

Sarah had never seen him move so quickly before. Jareth flew off the sofa and stood in front of her, his face twisted with infuriation.

"I am merely concerned that you are spreading yourself too thin." He replied sternly. "I should think that I am a little entitled to worry about the mother of my future child."

"I don't need you to worry about me, I need you to stop breathing down my neck every damn minute of the day, it is suffocating me. I am not one of your goblins!"

"I will _not_ be spoken to like that." He thundered. "Nor will I apologise for ensuring the safety of my child."

Sarah threw her arms up in the air in frustration and sighed very loudly indeed, it was actually more like a feral growl. She couldn't help it, his constant referring to her pregnancy was making her feel like it was all that mattered.

"God, would you just _stop_ going on about the baby? Please, for five minutes!"

"Well, _somebody_ has to." He shot, his eyes growing angry. "You don't want to share the news; you won't reduce your work schedule. Tell me, Sarah, are you even remotely interested in the fact that you are going to become a mother? Because it seems very doubtful indeed."

Sarah could feel tears building up in her eyes. She didn't need this right now. She felt absolutely dreadful, physically, plus she was apprehensive enough about becoming Goblin Queen and leaving her seventeen-year-old brother to make it on his own in this world, and now, on top of it all, a half-fae baby was being added to the mix. It was too much.

"You know what? She sobbed as tears fell down her cheeks, her emotions controlling her. "I wish I'd never gotten pregnant." As soon as the words left her lips, she regretted saying them. Jareth's anger faded and his hard expression was replaced with one of heartbreak. His hands that were placed angrily on his hips, fell to his side limply and he gazed sorrowfully at her.

"Do you really mean that, Sarah?" It came out in barely more than a whisper and Sarah's heart felt like it had been stabbed with a dagger. This was all too much for her, and small sobs caught in her chest.

"Just leave me alone, Jareth." She cried and looked away, for she could not bear to see the broken look in his eyes. She heard him take a deep breath.

"As you wish," He replied forlornly, and vanished from her sight.

Sniffing, Sarah wiped her eyes and walked upstairs. She had a bake sale to get ready for.

* * *

An hour later, Sarah stood in front of her full-length mirror, examining her face. The redness had gone from her eyes at least, but she would add another layer of concealer just in case. She didn't want anyone at the PTA to know she was upset and start asking awkward questions. She may be pregnant, but she still had her pride, and her pride would remain untarnished.

She looked at her belly in the mirror and sighed. Nobody else would know to look at her, but she was sporting a very miniscule bump. This baby was causing so much bother already. Sarah gasped as a sudden band of pain shot across her lower belly, streaking right round to her back. Sarah put her hand against it and rubbed. _Oh, wonderful, _she thought _this is all I need. God, I hate pregnancy._ If she wasn't spending her days throwing up or nearly passing out with dizziness, she was doubled over with sudden and unexplained lower abdominal pain. The doctor had told her to expect this, as it was just her body adjusting to growing a life.

"Toby, are you ready to go?" She called, grabbing a jacket out of her wardrobe.

"Just a minute." She heard him yell back from his bedroom.

Another pain engulfed her lower torso, this one was quite sharp. "Ow! God damnit" She cursed herself. She put on her jacket and left her room to walk downstairs.

A few minutes Toby appeared. "Ok, I'm ready." He smiled, but his face quickly turned from cheerful to very concerned.

"What's wrong?" Sarah asked him, confused. Another wave of pain came over her and she had to ignore it in front of Toby, so he didn't get suspicious.

Toby shakily pointed to her legs.

Confused and now quite worried, Sarah looked down at her legs and her heart filled with fear as the material of her jeans inside of her left thigh had a huge bloodstain on it.

"Oh my God." She said, frightened. "Toby, I need you to drive me to hospital."

* * *

The sound of people bustling about the busy maternity department waiting room washed over Sarah. She was completely terrified and locked in her own thoughts. All she could think about what those awful things she had said to Jareth about wishing she had never fallen pregnant, the despondent expression on his face. How could she be so selfish?

"It's going to be ok, Sarah." She vaguely heard Toby say, and felt him put his hand into hers, offering some comfort. She couldn't even find the words to reply to him. She felt completely lost and didn't even have the strength to cry any more. The two of them just sat there silently.

After what felt like a million years, a sweet female voice called out.

"Miss Williams?" A young member of staff with a kind face stood in front of them. She had a sympathetic smile and understanding eyes. "Please, follow me." She said and walked down the corridor into a side room. Sarah felt rooted to the spot and unable to move, fearing the worst.

"Come on Sarah, you need to be seen." Toby said softly. "It's ok, I'll come with you." He gently pulled her hand, and Sarah followed him to the side room that the lady had walked into.

"Please, lie down on the bed." The young woman said to her. "I'm going to give you a sonogram. You're almost eleven weeks gone now, so we will be able to easily see if there are any problems that might be causing your bleeding."

Sarah climbed onto the bed and lay down, still clutching Toby's hand. She tried to prepare herself to expect the worst news. That way, her heart wouldn't be completely broken if anything untoward was discovered.

She felt the sonographer pull her t-shirt up and put something cold onto her lower stomach, then place the doppler on her tummy.

A few minutes of silence went by and a fear of dread hit Sarah. The sonographer wasn't saying anything, there was obviously something wrong. She was just moving the doppler round Sarah's stomach, staring at the screen in front of her in absolute silence. Sarah mentally berated herself. This was all her fault for being so cruel and not appreciating the gift of being able to have children with the man she loved. She was sure if anything happened to the baby Jareth would probably never forgive her, and she wouldn't blame him one bit.

"Hmm." Said the sonographer at last.

"Is everything ok?" Toby asked, curiously

"From what I can see," She replied, "Your baby looks absolutely fine." She said cheerfully.

Sarah turned her head and looked at her in complete shock and relief.

"You mean, the baby is ok?" She sniffed, desperately hoping the young woman hadn't made a mistake.

"Yes. The baby is a good size, I can't see any issues at all. And..."

Sarah saw her lean over and push something on the screen she was looking at. A strange sound filled the air, one she had never heard before, but she instantly knew what it was.

_Swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh_

"Woah, what is that?" She heard Toby ask in amazement.

Sarah smiled for the first time in a long time.

"It's the baby's heartbeat, isn't it?" She asked happily, looking at the sonographer, who smiled and nodded.

"And a strong heartbeat, at that." The sonographer replied. "Would you like to see your baby?" She asked.

Sarah nodded and the sonographer turned the screen round.

And there it was, all grainy, blobby and black and white, her and Jareth's beautiful little baby. With its tiny little heart beating away, right in the centre. Sarah had never felt so relieved in all her life, and a sudden rush of love overtook all her senses. No longer did she feel resentful, angry or bitter about her pregnancy. Those feelings were replaced with nothing but love and adoration for the little miracle on the screen in front of her. She felt truly lucky to be carrying Jareth's baby.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even notice the tears streaming down her face.

"Told you it would be ok." She heard Toby whisper into her ear.

"But what caused the bleeding?" Sarah asked worriedly.

"Sometimes it's unexplainable." The sonographer said. "Bleeding is very common in early pregnancy, but you did the right thing getting it checked out. Most of the time it's because women are too busy rushing about and not taking time to look after themselves. Try resting up for a while until it stops."

Sarah felt guilt gripping at her heart. This is exactly what Jareth was worried about and had tried to prevent from happening. She wouldn't listen to him and, because of that, she was now having to have an emergency scan. Sarah made a mental promise to herself that she would drop some of her commitments. Their baby was far too important, and she could now, at last, see that.

* * *

When they got back home, Toby had ordered Sarah straight to bed, and she wasn't in any state to dispute that. She was exhausted and would have happily slept on a bed of nails. She got into her soft pyjamas and climbed into bed, her head spinning with everything that had happened that evening. Thank God she had a wonderful brother like Toby to help her through it all, she would have been totally lost without him.

Just as Sarah's eyes were closing together, she heard a knock at her bedroom door. She sat up and turned her bedside lamp on and called "Come in.".

The door opened and Toby walked in holding a mug in his hands. "I brought you some green tea." He said to her, sitting down on the side of her bed.

Sarah smiled and took the mug from him. What a thoughtful thing to do.

"Thanks, kiddo." She said taking a sip of the hot liquid, enjoying its warmth.

"Some night, huh?" He said with a sympathetic smile.

"Yeah, some night." Sarah replied, in a bit of a daze.

Toby looked down at his hands while she sipped her tea. She could tell there was something he wanted to ask her.

"Where's Jareth?" He asked. Ah, there it was.

Sarah set her mug down on her beside table and looked at him, his eyes were filled with concern and curiosity.

"Jareth and I." She trailed off, looking awkward. "We had a bit of a misunderstanding."

"Oh." Toby replied, slightly worried. "You aren't going to break-up, are you?"

Sarah smiled at him. "Of course not." She replied. "Look, things have just been a bit crazy with the news of the baby and. Wait a minute." She looked at him, questioningly. "Why aren't you asking questions about the baby? It's like you knew I was pregnant."

Toby smiled at her and snickered, pushing his blonde hair behind his ear. "The truth is, I did know."

Sarah raised her eyebrows at her. How on earth did he know? Did Jareth tell him after promising her that he wouldn't?

"Oh, come on, it was pretty obvious." He smiled at her, reading her confused and slightly panicked expression. "You've been throwing up for weeks. You used to inhale like five cinnamon buns a day, and you can't even look at them now. It's chemistry I suck at, not biology."

Sarah laughed loudly, for what felt like he first time in weeks. Her wonderfully, kind, smart brother had known all along. But out of respect he did not mention it.

"For what it's worth," He said quietly "I think it's amazing news. I am happy for you and Jareth. Your baby will be beautiful."

Sarah felt her yes welling up with tears again. Damn these pregnancy hormones turning her into an emotional mess.

"That means a lot to me, kiddo"

He smiled and stood up, lifting the cup off her bedside table.

"Well, I'm gonna go and let you get some sleep now. If you need anything at all, just call."

Sarah turned off her lamp and lay back down in bed as Toby exited the room and closed the door. She turned onto her side and snuggled down into her duvet, clutching her tiny, cherished bump, as she drifted off into a dreamless sleep, ridding herself of today's worries.

* * *

The room was bathed in darkness when she woke, sometime later, but she was aware she was not alone. It wasn't her pillow she was lying down on anymore, it was a soft, warm chest, and two strong arms were wrapped around her back lovingly. The sound of a rhythmic heartbeat was pitter-pattering gently into her right ear and silky lips were sowing kisses into her hair. Sarah lay there for a few moments, just letting him love her. She had been through so much today, she was ready to just let him take care of her and their unborn baby.

"I'm sorry," She whispered into the darkness, sincerely meaning it.

"Shhh," He breathed softly, wrapping his arms tighter around her, making their physical connection stronger. "Not another word, precious. Toby told me everything. I should _never_ have left you."

She could feel him burrow his nose deeply into her hair and take in her scent. "It was my fault, Jareth. I didn't listen to you. I just got so caught up worrying about making money for Toby, that I didn't put the baby first. And. And." Her voice began to crack with emotion. God, how many times was she going to cry today? "I didn't mean what I said." She cried, not being able to stop the tears from spilling onto his chest, feeling shameful that she had uttered such a hideous sentence about their baby.

"Oh, I know my love." He said gently, wiping her tears away with his thumb. "We both said things in anger that we didn't mean. I, too, must apologise for being so overbearingly protective. Quite ironically, I wasn't there when you really did need me."

"I promise I'll reduce my workload." She said. Sarah could feel him lift one hand from the bottom of her back and she relaxed her body as he tenderly ran his hand up and down her back, stroking it, soothing her.

"If that is what you wish to do, precious. I only want you to do it on your own terms."

"No, I need to do it." She sniffed, as the last few tears fell out of her eyes. "I need to put the baby first." There was small pause while both of them collected their thoughts.

"I saw him when I was at the hospital." She said with a small smile, remembering how relived she had been to see the tiny little mass. "On the screen, I mean. I even heard his heart beating and it was the most beautiful sound I have ever heard." Sarah felt Jareth smile into her hair. "The sonographer gave me a scan to take home. I can't wait to show it to you."

"And I shall be delighted to see it." He whispered. "But, in the morning, my love. For it's been a harrowing evening, and the only thing I wish to do right now is fall asleep with my beautiful Goblin-Queen-to-be in my arms."

Sarah smiled and snuggled into Jareth's chest. What had she done to deserve him? And to be carrying his baby too, their future Prince or Princess. How honoured she felt, as the night claimed them both.

* * *

A/N- Thank you so much for reading this far! We are about half way through the story now.

P.S- I know teachers aren't usually paid for things like bake sales etc, but for the convenience of the story I made it so.


	4. Chapter 4

The shrill sound of the bell ringing could not sound more welcome to Toby's ears. Finally the day was over, and he didn't have to listen one second longer to the tedious humming that was his history teacher's boring voice. He was exhausted from last night's fiasco and did not sleep due to worrying about his sister. She had had quite the scare, and truth be told it had terrified him too seeing her in that state.

He pulled open his locker and carelessly threw all his books into it with a sigh. They tumbled over each other with a loud thud, creating a messy, crumpled pile, but Toby couldn't find any energy to care about his books right now. He just wanted to go home and rest, and check that Sarah was alright. Perhaps for the first time that Toby could recall, she had taken some time off work, to his and Jareth's relief.

Slamming his locker door shut, Toby was met with a beautiful red-headed angel standing behind it. Her teeth shining like perfect pearls as she smiled.

"Hey!" She said cheerfully as Toby jumped out of his skin with a gasp, for he did not expect to see her. He was feeling a little on edge today.

"Jeez, Scarlett, you scared me." He said, perhaps a little harsher than he meant to.

"Oh. I'm sorry." She replied quietly with a taken aback expression.

"It's ok, Princess." Toby said brightly, flashing a small, tired smile. It wasn't her fault he had been up half the night; he really didn't need to take it out on his girlfriend.

"So, are you ready?" She merrily said, flicking her long hair back.

"For what?" Toby asked, trying to stifle a yawn from escaping his lips.

"To go to the mall, of course!" She said, drawing her eyebrows together in confusion. "Remember? We said we were gonna check out that new video game. Don't tell me you forgot."

Toby's heart dropped and he inwardly he groaned. Indeed he did promise to take Scarlett to the mall today, but that was before he knew he was going to be spending hours of the previous evening sitting worriedly in the maternity department of the hospital. Desperately trying to reassure his sister that the magical child she was having with the Goblin King was going to be ok. What a mess. Toby scratched the back of his head, feeling a headache coming on.

"Um, Princess, wold you mind if we went to the mall another night instead? I wasn't feeling great last night, and I didn't sleep too well." _Understatement of the century_, He thought to himself.

Scarlett slightly frowned but her dark blue eyes still twinkled with kindness.

"Sure, baby." She said. "I understand. But where were you and Sarah last night? I noticed you weren't at the bake sale and got worried. So I called round, but nobody was in. And we got a substitute teacher in biology class today because Sarah wasn't there."

_Oh, crap. _Toby panicked. He wasn't great at lying at the best of times, never mind to the girl he was categorically in love with. And said girl just happened to be a freaking genius.

"Uh, yeah, Sarah's really sick with, um, the flu at the minute. She's been laid up in bed since last night." He spat out nervously, "And I went to bed early too, so that's probably why we didn't hear you, I'm sorry." He said, praying that she would believe his pathetic story.

But alas she crinkled her nose in confusion. There was no way she was falling for this bilge.

"But the car was gone." She said, looking up at him for answer.

_Of course it was, we were at the hospital, _Toby thought_._

"Well, Sarah did mention that she might drive to the pharmacy because we ran out of painkillers. That must have been where she was when you dropped by. I'm sorry, Scarlett, look I'm not in the mood to go out tonight."

"Oh. Ok." She said in a gloomy tone and her eyes fell to the floor. Toby immediately felt guilt pour into his heart. He didn't want to lie to her and let her down, but he simply couldn't reveal the true reason of his absence last night. He took her hands into his own and planted the back of them with kisses reassuringly. A small smile began to play on her lips after a while.

"I promise I'll take you to the mall another night. And I'll even buy you the video game."

"You better." She smiled as he took her into his arms and hugged her tightly. "And you better promise you're still coming to my tennis match next Thursday, Toby Williams. It's the semi-finals and you know you're my good luck charm. I need you there."

Toby smiled down at his girlfriend. She could be stubborn a times but had the kindest heart of anyone Toby knew.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." He promised her.

* * *

_**Bang Bang Bang**_

He couldn't tell if the noise was coming from inside his head or outside, in the real world. One thing was for sure though; he certainly was not fully conscious. Colours were spinning in front of his eyes and familiar voices were swirling round his head like a vortex, though he could not make out what they were saying. Lines, patterns and mystical shapes danced dizzily with each other in a billowing motion as if the laws of gravity did not apply to them, and Toby could not tell if it was day or night.

_**Bang Bang Bang**_

Grudgingly, Toby felt himself being pulled away from his subconscious, like walking through treacle. Everything was getting further and further away. The voices were getting quieter, this otherworldly dimension was diminishing.

Suddenly he was lying on top of his bed, everything normal, still and calm. Except for that damn banging noise, which he now realised was somebody knocking frantically on his bedroom door. He quickly sat up and rubbed his eyes as Jareth's voice drifted through.

"Toby, are you alright? May I enter?"

"Uh, yeah, come on in." He replied, feeling a bit disoriented from being woken suddenly from a deep sleep.

Jareth came into the room and closed the door behind him.

"I was getting rather worried by your lack of response." He said concerned. "I feared something dreadful had happened."

"Oh, no, I just fell asleep."

"Ah. I do apologise, my dear boy. I didn't realise you were sleeping." Jareth replied. "I can return later, if you wish?"

"No, it's alright." Toby said with a smile. He was much too curious as to what Jareth wanted with him. "Is anything the matter, Jareth? Is Sarah ok?" He asked, suddenly feeling anxious that something else had happened to Sarah.

"That stubborn woman is doing what she should have been doing all along; resting!" Toby smiled and lightly laughed as Jareth rolled his eyes.

He walked across the room from the door to the bed and sat down beside Toby. Toby noticed Jareth seemed to be contemplating something over and over in his head.

_Uh, oh. What was up_, he wondered.

"Toby, I want to thank you for the unconditional support you showed Sarah last night." He finally said after a few minutes. "Your calm and steady reaction would put many a grown man to shame, including myself. I must say, I am nothing short of astounded at how maturely you handled a very frightening situation." He took a small pause as he gathered his thoughts once more.

"As you have learned, the news of the pregnancy has been…well, a tad difficult for Sarah to come to terms with. I am very grateful you were there to comfort her, when really, it should have been I."

Toby could feel his face starting to glow with pride. "I understand, Jareth. You don't have to thank me." He said shyly.

"Ah, but I insist." He said and Toby watched inquisitively as Jareth cupped both his gloved hands together and something round and twinkling appeared in them. He gasped when he realised what it was. Was that a crystal? Jareth held out his hands to Toby, willing him to take the spherical object from him. Toby nervously accepted the crystal and stared down at it in amazement.

"You. You're giving me one of your crystals?" He stuttered.

"That is correct." Jareth smiled at him. "If you hold it in your hands and ask it to grant you a wish, it will obey you up to three times. After that, it will reset itself every year and you may grant another three, and so on it will continue."

"Oh man, that is so cool!" Toby blurted out, not quite believing it.

Jareth chuckled at his astonishment. "Without a magical source the powers will fade eventually. But I reckon there's still at least fifty years of magic in the old thing yet."

Toby studied the supernatural object in his hands. He could quite literally see the magic it contained, glittering streaks of gold and silver swirling around inside it like an enchanting mist. It was incredibly beautiful, and he had never seen anything like it. He was in total shock that Jareth would give him something like this.

"Be careful with it, it is over thirteen-hundred years old." He heard Jareth say softly to him.

"Thirteen-hundred years old?" Toby raised his eyebrows.

"Yes. My father bestowed it to me when I was young. And, well, I feel it's only fitting that I pass it on to you now. I was going to wait until you were a little older, but you have proven to me that you are a responsible young man. I trust you entirely with it."

"Jareth, I'm totally honoured." Toby choked. "But, don't you want to give it to your own child?"

Jareth smiled at him kindly, his mis-matched eyes growing as sparkly as the magical crystal that now belonged to him.

"Toby, you may not be my biological son, but be under no illusions my dear boy, you are and always will be just as loved and as cared for as this child that is about to be born."

Toby smiled back at him, his eyes welling up with tears of reverence. He was truly touched at this sentiment.

"Besides," Jareth continued, "The child will receive their own special crystal in due course. How else will they be able to communicate with their uncle?"

"You mean, I will be able to talk to them through the crystal?" Toby asked, once more in amazement.

"Of course. And not just the child. Any time you wish to contact Sarah or me, you need only speak our names into the crystal, and we will hear you. Just because we will no longer be here, it does not mean you have to be alone."

Toby sat in silence for a moment, taking this all in. It was a very special thing for Jareth to do for him.

"You know," He said after a few moments, "I knew Sarah would have to leave eventually, and to be honest I was a little scared by it." Toby admitted, "But, I don't feel so afraid anymore. Thank you, Jareth. Truly, thank you for this gift." He said, throwing his arms around Jareth in gratitude, being careful to hold the crystal close to his chest so it wouldn't drop.

"You are most welcome, Toby." He said humbly, returning the hug to him "Oh, there is something else I wish to talk to you about."

"Anything." Toby replied, breaking the hug and sitting back on his usual spot on the bed.

"You see, I'm afraid I have to travel to another land to settle a matter with another king. Unfortunately, I won't able to return to this realm for a little while. With Sarah feeling ill I want you to keep an eye on her and use the crystal to contact me if anything should happen."

"I can do that." Toby replied.

"Excellent. Though don't let her know. If she knew she I was asking you to look after her, that wilful woman would have my head on a plate."

Toby laughed and agreed with Jareth. Sarah certainly was stubborn and independent.

"And one more thing." Jareth said. "In nine days, Sarah must have another antenatal scan. I would like you to accompany her, you know, for a bit of moral support. It would mean so much to the both of us."

Toby's chest filled with dread when he realised what day it was in nine days. It was Thursday, the same day as Scarlett's important tennis match. He had promised her he would be there, but this scan was also important. Sarah was feeling ill and emotional and he couldn't let her go to her scan alone. But he couldn't tell Scarlett the real reason why he wouldn't be able to make it to her game. If she only knew, Toby felt sure she would totally understand, but he couldn't betray Sarah and Jareth's confidence. Not least, especially since Jareth had just entrusted him with one of his dearest crystals and was waxing lyrical about how valued and appreciated he was.

"Toby, is there a problem with that?" Jareth's words brought him out of his panicked little contemplation.

"Uh, no- of course not." He stammered. "I would be happy to take her to the scan."

Jareth smiled happily at him and Toby knew he couldn't let him down.

"Good lad. I knew you were ready to receive that crystal." He said, before saying goodbye and disappearing in a cloud of glitter.

"Oh god." Toby said to himself. "What have I got myself into?"

He sighed wearingly. It was going to be a long night.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you so much for the new reviews, they really make my day. If you like the story, please continue to let me know. This chapter took such a long time to write and edit, so I hope you enjoy it. Also, it starts off very intense (not my usual style of writing) but becomes quite fluffy near the end. Enjoy!

* * *

Sarah was smiling. And not just a small, insignificant smile, oh no. A huge, beaming, joyful, I'm-happier-than-I-have-been-in-weeks smile was splashed across her face as she drove herself and Toby home from her antenatal appointment.

And why shouldn't she feel happy? She had just seen her and Jareth's little one in another scan. The sonographer had told her that everything looked perfect, and the pregnancy was progressing nicely. Her bleeding had finally stopped, and Sarah felt like she could relax a bit more and try to enjoy this special time. God knows she had spent enough time feeling angry and bitter. Pregnancy was no walk in the park. She was still suffering from bouts of morning sickness and dizziness, but it was starting to become less frequent as she was approaching her second trimester. Thank heavens, she thought. She didn't know how much longer she could take running to the bathroom every ten minutes to vomit.

They stopped at a set of lights and Sarah looked over at Toby. Her little brother had been invaluable to her these past few weeks with everything going on. No matter how hard things got for Sarah, Toby always offered hope and comfort to her. He brought so much light into her dark world.

Sarah smiled at him, but he didn't notice as he was inattentively gazing out the car window, his cheek resting on his hand, a vacant look on his face. She couldn't help observing that he hadn't been himself the past few days. He wasn't as talkative and seemed to have lost his spark for life. Of course, being the teenager he was, when Sarah asked him what was wrong, he denied anything being the matter. However, she knew him inside out and could sense something was troubling him. She noted that it was quite out of the ordinary for Toby not to open up to her.

When they got in Sarah hung up her coat and scarf and looked down at the scan picture in her hand. The baby had grown, even from when she had had her last scan ten days ago. She had to admit, when she first found out she was pregnant, she thought her whole world was falling apart. If she were truly honest with herself, she felt crushed. But having that scare opened up her eyes and made her realise how much she wanted this baby. She couldn't wait to tell Jareth how well their baby was coming along. He had been gone for five days and Sarah missed him terribly. Although he had given her a crystal at the beginning of their relationship, should she ever need to contact him when he was not in the human world.

Sarah turned cheerfully to thank Toby once again for his continued support, only she was met with an empty hallway and the sound of him thudding upstairs to his room. Again. He had been doing that a lot lately, avoiding conversation with Sarah and wanting to spend time by himself.

"I've got to know what's wrong with him." Sarah said quietly to herself. She was starting to grow concerned for Toby.

Setting foot up the stairs, a sobbing noise became louder as Sarah drew closer and closer to Toby's bedroom. When she was standing outside it, she could hear him crying and her heart sank with worry. She gently knocked on the door.

"Toby, can I come in?" Sarah called softly. The sobbing suddenly ceased, and her question was met with radio silence. He didn't want to talk to her.

"Please," She said exasperatedly. "Talk to me, kiddo."

More silence.

Sarah sighed and closed her eyes, feeling hormonal tears flood her eyes. Toby was clearly going through something, and she just wanted to help him. But if he didn't answer her, there was not much more she could do, she thought bitterly to herself. Admitting defeat, Sarah turned to walk away when she heard a very small, deflated whisper.

"Ok."

Relief washing through her, Sarah opened Toby's bedroom door and was met with his back facing her, as he sat on his bed, head hung low. Closing the door, Sarah walked round to the far side of Toby's bed and sat down beside him. His lips were curved into a despondent frown, he was hunched over, his eyes were red, and she could see the remaining few drops of tears clinging to his eyelashes. It was a very sad and concerning sight indeed. Sarah tenderly placed her hand on his arm.

"What's happened, Tobes?" She asked gently.

Toby didn't move an inch. His head remained dropped and his eyes were glued to the floor. His chest was rising and falling very quickly as his breathing became rapid. After a few minutes of inactivity, Sarah was about to repeat the question, when he finally spoke.

"Scarlett broke up with me three days ago."

Sarah's eyebrows flew up in shock, and her heart sank. This was not what she was expecting at all. Scarlett had broken her little brother's heart? _Three_ goddamn days ago? And she was just learning of it now?

"What?!" She exclaimed. "Broke up? But, how? Why? You're the nicest guy ever!"

"Ha! Yeah, that's the whole problem." He whispered under his breath, almost inaudibly, but Sarah caught what he said, and was very confused by it. Scarlett broke up with him because he was too caring? What girl didn't want that attribute in a partner?

"Toby what do you mean? Why did she do this?"

"It doesn't matter." He said miserably. "She's history. Or rather, I am."

It was so glaringly obvious that he didn't want to reveal the reason for the break-up, and Sarah would normally respect things like this. But she couldn't ignore her heart screaming at her to find out why anyone would dump such a sweet and loving person.

Sarah put her arm around Toby's shoulders in a semi-hug, trying to offer him some comfort. Poor kid, having your first heartbreak wasn't easy.

"I'm so sorry." She said sympathetically. "I can see that you don't want to go into it, but if you ever need to talk"-

Quick as a flash, Toby pushed her arm off his shoulder and jumped off the bed. His eyes had a look of anger and resentment that Sarah had never seen before.

"Talk?" He spat, very uncharacteristically "Ok, Sarah, I'll talk to you. Do you want to know _why_ exactly Scarlett called it quits? It's because I can't be honest with her about you and Jareth, and your little… half-breed, fairy-tale baby."

Sarah's eyes widened and filled with tears. Toby was behaving so far from the gentle person she knew him to be. It was quite frightening to see him so furious and speaking so brutally. It wasn't her brother at all.

"I've had to do a lot of lying and sneaking around behind her back to cover for you. And, today I should have been supporting her at her really important tennis match." Toby paced up and down his bedroom menacingly, with his hands on his hips, before turning back round to her.

"But, no, Mr. _Good Guy_ over here has to babysit his pregnant sister. So I had to make up another lame excuse as to why I can't be there, which of course she doesn't believe, and she dumped me. And honestly, Sarah, I don't freaking blame her! Who wants a relationship with someone who can't be honest?"

"Toby, listen"-

"No, _you_ listen!" He boomed back at her. "All my life I have tried to help people who need it, because that's the way you raised me. Well, I'm sick of it! What I have learned is that the world does not treat you any better because you are a decent person. Scarlett was the best thing to ever happen to me, and now I've lost her because of my loyalty towards you and Jareth and… _that thing_." He pointed to her tiny baby bump.

Tears ran down Sarah's face. She felt utterly awful. Toby was completely in love with Scarlett and it was all her fault that they broke up. She had been so caught up in her own problems and in her own happiness that she neglected to think about the needs of Toby and how much of a toll this situation was taking on him. He was only seventeen, he should be sneaking out to parties, messing about with his friends and having fun with Scarlett, not worrying about the emotional wellbeing of his sister. It wasn't fair to him.

"Toby, I didn't mean for any of this to happen." She sobbed.

"Just…get out of my room. Why don't you just run off to the Underground _now_ and save some time?"

Sarah stared at him in complete shock. His face was etched with rage and his eyes were filled with sorrow. Without another word, Sarah fled from his room and ran into her own.

Collapsing onto her bed, she let her emotions overcome her as she dissolved into tears.

* * *

She wasn't sure how much time had passed when she stopped crying, but it was starting to get dark outside her window. Sarah rubbed her eyes and pushed her long, dark hair out of her face and behind her ears. She had never felt so alone and all she wanted to do was talk to Jareth.

Walking over to her nightstand, Sarah picked up the crystal that was sitting on a little pedestal and cupped it in her hands. She really didn't like disturbing Jareth when he was involved in important royal duties, but she absolutely felt like she had to talk to him.

"Jareth." She said into the crystal "Jareth, are you there?"

The rose-gold magic inside the crystal began to swirl around and around, like a mini tornado, and slowly an image started to appear inside it. Sarah was looking straight into Jareth's beautiful eyes.

"Sarah?" She heard him say. "Are you alright, my love? Is anything the matter with the baby?"

"No, the baby's fine." Sarah said, her voice starting to crack and her breathing becoming laboured as she felt sobs erupting in her chest.

"Have you been crying?" He asked, rather concernedly. "What's happened?"

Sarah took a few staggered breaths and her eyes overspill with tears.

"It's Toby." She croaked. "Scarlett and he. It's all my fault. I've been an awful sister. Now he hates me"-

"Sarah, Sarah, calm down." He said soothingly. "You're all worked up, darling. I don't know what's going on, but I can assure you Toby does not hate you."

"Yes, he does!" She interjected "He's been forced to lie to Scarlett to protect our relationship and the baby, and he missed something today that was really important to her and he couldn't tell her about my scan, so she broke up with him."

Jareth closed his eyes in empathy and sighed softly.

"Oh, that is very distressing news. The poor lad." He said, his voice full of despair. Sarah knew Jareth cared about Toby just as much as she did. "But, precious, do you really think that Toby believes it is your fault, and despises you?"

"You weren't there." She said, distressingly. "It was like he had a complete personality transplant. He was so upset. So angry, and cold. He even referred to our baby as a. A. Half-breed, fairy-tale baby".

Jareth raised his eyebrows "Well, that's creative, I must say."

"Jareth, I don't know what to do, I've ruined his life." She spluttered, using her sleeve as a handkerchief to mop up her tears

"Oh, precious." He replied reassuringly, gazing into her eyes. "Please don't shed anymore tears from those lovely green eyes over this. You have done nothing wrong. Toby's heart has been broken, he is just lashing out at you because of the pain he's feeling. You know deep down he doesn't really mean any of this claptrap. He adores you. And the baby. Why ever else would he keep the existence of it a secret in the first instance? Because he loves you both and wants to protect you."

Sarah wiped away her tears again. That was what she really needed to hear, and Jareth was right, Toby was a good kid. In his normal state of mind, he would never treat her so callously.

"Besides," He continued, "He is seventeen, it is not outside the realm of normal to expect a little dramatic behaviour from time to time. If I remember correctly, a certain teenage girl was prone to over-exaggerating things, and quite frequently, might I add." He smiled at her and she couldn't help uttering a chortle.

"I suppose so," She replied, feeling a lot calmer. "But I still feel dreadful about it. It's our secret to worry about, not his. The only reason she ended it was because he couldn't tell her the truth."

"Well then," Jareth said pleasantly, with a smile, "I think it's high time he did."

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" She asked, wondering if Jareth was feeling alright. "How do you know she will believe it?"

Jareth smiled at her and snickered. "I have a gut feeling."

* * *

Toby sighed for the one-hundredth time that evening and put his head into his hands. What an absolute debacle of a night. Well, of a week, really. He had been in such an awful mood, that he couldn't even go to football practice this week. Now his teammates were going to be pissed off at him, too. This really sucked.

Closing his eyes, Toby imagined Scarlett's face. Her red hair, her blue eyes, that little giggle she made every time he tickled her. Man, he missed her so much. He really thought after graduation that they were going to move into their own home and build a future together. He imagined them sitting in the living room together every night, asking each other how their day was, drinking tea and watching the news. Or whatever it was that adults do. Now it was just a broken dream. A fantasy. He could feel tears forming in the corner of his eyes again, but quickly wiped them away.

A sudden noise in the room made Toby jump. It was a whispering, whirring noise, sort of like when you tried to find a station on the radio, but couldn't quite get it right. He could hear it getting louder, the soundwaves carrying a voice with them, like someone was trying to speak to him. But of course, there was nobody here but him.

"Hello?" He called out to the empty room, feeling fairly creeped out.

"Toby, can you hear me?" He heard the voice say, clear as day. And he recognised that voice, it was that of Jareth's.

"Jareth?" He asked, confused, looking round the room. "Where are you?"

"In the crystal." He heard him say back.

Toby leaned over his bed and lifted the crystal Jareth had given him before he left to travel, and sure enough, he saw Jareth's face looking back at him. He had totally forgotten that he could use it to communicate.

"Cool." Toby said, seeing the crystal in action.

"Toby, we need to talk." Jareth said to him, in a solemn tone. Toby knew what it was about, and he really didn't want to talk to Jareth about said topic.

"Well, I'm sorry, Jareth, I don't feel like talking." He replied sulkily.

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice in the matter." Jareth said curtly. "Now, would you care to explain to me why I have received a distressed call from your sister?"

Toby groaned with annoyance. The day had been taxing enough without Jareth giving him the third degree. He was sick of being pushed around by everyone in his life.

"No, I do _not_ care to explain anything." He said defiantly. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd appreciate it if you left me alone." Toby shoved the crystal under his pillow and turned around. Only, when he did so, he was once again met with Jareth's face. The crystal was suspended in mid-air and floating in front of his face.

"**Ahh!**" He yelled, startled, falling back onto his bed.

"You'll converse with me, young man. Or I will throw you headfirst into the Bog of Eternal Stench without a backwards glance." Jareth said sternly.

"Ok, fine!" He said with a growl and an eyeroll, taking the crystal back into his hand. "Scarlett broke up with me and I kinda. Sorta. You know, took it out on Sarah." He stammered uncomfortably, starting to feel remorseful for what he did.

"I see," Jareth replied calmly. A little too calmly, Toby thought, given the situation. "And, what exactly did you say to her?"

Toby paused as he thought about the way he spoken to Sarah. It had been very harsh, especially the comments he made about their baby. That was totally out of order, and nonsense, to boot. He did, in fact, care very much about their unborn child, and couldn't wait to be an uncle. Toby couldn't recall a time when he had behaved so spitefully towards Sarah. A feeling of guilt started to over come him and he found that his anger had been replaced with sorrow.

"Well...I ranted at her and said some stupid things." He said, feeling thoroughly ashamed of himself, "Some _hurtful_ things… that I really shouldn't have said..." He trailed off, regretting immensely the exchange between him and Sarah.

"Is she...very upset?" He asked with dread, knowing the answer already.

"Well," Jareth said softly, "Not to put too fine a point on it, but yes. She is convinced that you hate her."

Toby closed his eyes in shame and put his head down. He couldn't believe how much of a jerk he had been towards Sarah, the sister that had given up her young adulthood to raise him. The sister who had put her own life on hold so that Toby could have a chance of a good life. And this is how he repaid her.

"I could never hate her." He said, still not feeling able to meet Jareth's eyes. "Jareth, I didn't mean any of what I said. I was just so upset about the break-up. I reacted in anger and Sarah didn't deserve any of it. Now everything's messed up." He wiped away the tears that were threatening to fall from the corner of his eyes._ Oh great_, he thought,_ now I'm crying in front of Jareth. He probably thinks I'm a pathetic wimp_.

"Toby, look at me." He heard Jareth say. Toby grudgingly turned his head back to the crystal and he saw Jareth staring back at him with kindness in his eyes. Something, he felt, that he did not deserve.

"You have something wonderful that most people do not possess. It's a very uncommon gift. Do you know what that is?"

Toby looked at Jareth slightly confused and shook his head. What was he talking about? Why wasn't he laying into him for making Sarah cry? And not to mention, insulting their unborn child?

"You have the gift of compassion," Jareth replied with a smile. "You have a kind heart beating in your chest. No man, be he human, fae or otherwise, is more gallant than the one who respects the feelings and needs of others, before his own. I know you feel like it would be easier to just stop caring so much. I know it can be exasperating always being the good guy. But it is vital that you never change who you are, Toby. The world needs more good men."

Toby smiled back at Jareth meekly. His wisdom and understanding never failed to amaze him. Not to mention his benevolence.

"I don't feel very gallant," Toby said sadly, thinking about all the awful things he shouted at Sarah.

"Well, you're still very young. You will make mistakes. Even gallant men make mistakes sometimes. The important thing is, that you learn from them, my dear boy," Jareth replied. "Chin up, There is a very simple way to repair the damage done."

"I know." Toby replied, feeling a lot better. Jareth sure had a way with words. "I'll apologise to Sarah."

"Good lad. That's much more like the Toby I know." Jareth smiled at him. "Now, about this young lady of yours."

"She's not mine anymore." Toby said bitterly. "She's probably moved on already." To his surprise Jareth raised his eyebrows.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Toby's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. What did he mean by that? Scarlett had made it very clear to him that their relationship was over.

"You say this girl broke up with you, for the sole reason that you couldn't divulge the truth about magic to her?"

"Well, yeah." Toby answered, feeling slightly perplexed. Didn't he just tell Jareth this? Why was he bringing it up again?

"Then, if you love her, and wish to make amends, you need to tell her the truth."

Tell her the truth? Was he mad? He couldn't tell Scarlett about the Underground. He couldn't expose the whole fae race. She simply wouldn't understand. And what's more, she would think Toby was absolutely barking mad.

"Jareth," He said apprehensively, "I appreciate what you are trying to do for me, I really do. But I can't just waltz up to Scarlett and say 'Oh hi, I know you dumped me because I missed your tennis match, but it was really because I was at an antenatal appointment with my sister, who by the way is pregnant with the Goblin King's baby. And, oh yeah, in a few months she will be leaving to become Queen of a far-away, magical land called the Underground, for all of eternity'." Toby ran his free hand through his blond hair, feeling frustrated. "It sounds preposterous. No rational human in their right mind would believe that."

He looked back at the crystal and could see a strange, whimsical expression on Jareth's face.

"You're absolutely correct, Toby. However, you're unaware of one small, essential element."

"And what's that, may I ask?"

Jareth leaned closer into the crystal and looked him right in the eye, a small smile on his lips.

"Scarlett is not human."


	6. Chapter 6

Silence hung in the air for what felt like an eternity as Toby tried to digest the mindboggling piece of news Jareth had just shared with him. The only source of noise was the sound of his heart as it thumped so erratically, that Toby feared it might burst right out of his chest at any given moment. His mouth began to grow dry as it worked overtime to take in huge gulps of oxygen, and a sudden surge of adrenaline coursed through his veins making the world spin slightly.

"Toby, are you alright?"

Toby had almost forgotten that he was still connected with Jareth through the crystal. He held the crystal at eye level and looked at Jareth in shock.

"I'm sorry," He said with a short burst of laughter. "Did you just say Scarlett…_isn't human_?"

"I did," Jareth replied. "However, that isn't entirely accurate."

Toby sighed with relief. Of course Scarlett was human. She was a typical, ordinary girl. The only powers she had were the ones she held over his heart. That, and how insanely intelligent and beautiful she was.

"So, she is totally human?" Toby asked.

"No, of course she's not." Jareth said, confusing Toby even more. "Not _totally_ human. I'd say her genetic heritage is half human, at a guess."

"Half?!" He guffawed, his eyed widening. Was his ex-girlfriend really half human, half fae?

"Yes, haven't you been listening?" Jareth asked him, slightly sternly.

"But you haven't even met Scarlett." Toby said, amazed, "How on earth do you know this?"

Toby saw Jareth take a breath and pause slightly, like he was preparing to explain something complicated.

"You see, Toby, magic is a very powerful force. In fact, there is only one thing in existence that is more powerful than it." Toby listened to Jareth intently, his ears glued to every word he was uttering. "Supernatural beings, such as me, possess the ability to sense the presence of magic in others." Jareth told him.

"What, you mean like a scent?" Toby asked curiously. This was fascinating stuff.

"More like a feeling." Jareth replied. "It is difficult to explain, but it comes from the days when fae kings would slay their enemies to gain ownership of their thrown, and therefore their kingdom. This ability allowed a fae to gage how powerful their opponent was. As you can imagine, this was most useful when attempting to vanquish them. Now, of course, we have more civilised and less barbaric practices."

It sounded like something out of a children's fairy tale story, Toby thought. Then again, so did the whole concept of magic itself.

"Like I said," Toby replied into the crystal, bewildered, "You haven't yet met Scarlett. How could you sense her magic?"

"If you'll remember sometime back, I unknowingly intruded on you both when you were kissing her goodbye." Jareth replied. "It was then, even in that brief moment, that I knew Scarlett was a being with magical powers."

Toby thought back to the day Jareth was referring to. It was the day before his chemistry test a few months ago. He and Scarlett had been studying in the dining room, then he walked her to the door. His eyes drifted away from the crystal momentarily as he took this in. The girl he had been dating for eight months, the love of his life, had magical powers? How? She seemed so…_normal_. There was nothing out of the ordinary about her. It was almost unbelievable, but Toby knew Jareth had no reason to lie to him, and, aside from that, he was a very wise man with centuries of life experience and vast expertise in the art of magic. He knew what he was talking about.

"Jareth, if magic can be sensed, and if Scarlett has magical powers, then doesn't that mean she would have been able to sense _your_ magic that day, also?" Toby asked.

"Very perceptive, Toby." Jareth smiled at him. "And ordinarily yes, but there are three factors at play that would prevent that. Firstly, Scarlett is only seventeen, and therefore her magic is still immature. She would not yet have had time to hone her abilities, they must be developed over the course of a century. Secondly, as I mentioned at the start of our conversation, she is half human. I don't think it's necessary to explain in detail that having only one magical gene would not be as strong as having two."

Toby nodded, trying his best to understand the situation. This was the last thing in the world he expected to be told.

"And what's the third thing?" He asked.

"Well, the last point is where things get a bit muddled." Jareth replied. "And you will have many questions, I expect. Questions that I cannot answer. Only Scarlett can."

Toby became intrigued and slightly worried at the same time.

"What else more can you possibly confuse me with?" He said, feeling incredulous. "So far, I have learned that my ex-girlfriend, who I thought I knew inside out, has _magical freaking powers!" _Anger started to rise again in the pit of his stomach. All this time, and Scarlett hadn't mentioned a word about it to him. And Jareth was only telling him now? "You know, it would have been helpful to know this information _before she dumped me_!"

Jareth raised an eyebrow at him.

"Do not take that tone with me, young man. I am trying to help you." He replied firmly.

Toby took a deep breath and tried to calm back down again. He had lost his temper and misdirected his anger enough tonight. He didn't need to do it to Jareth too.

"I know. I'm sorry, Jareth." He apologised, his voice back to its normal range. "It's just a lot to take in."

"I understand." Jareth replied kindly.

A few moments passed while the two of them were lost in their thoughts. Toby felt like he had entered a parallel world. How on earth could Scarlett have magic?

"Man, I can't believe Scarlett's half fae" Toby said, breaking the silence. A lack of reply from Jareth made him turn his head towards the crystal and he could see Jareth was thinking deeply about something.

"Well, that brings us back to the third point." He said, "Scarlett is, in fact, _not _half fae."

"But you just said-" Toby protested but was cut short.

"If you recall," Jareth replied calmly, "I said Scarlett has magical powers. It does not mean that she is fae. Her magic, though quite weak at present, does not match that of a fae. It's a different type of magic. Magic belonging to another supernatural being."

Toby's jaw dropped with astonishment.

"You mean, there are other types of magical people? Not just fae?" He asked.

Jareth chuckled at his naivety. "Of course there are!" He said jovially, smiling. "Why, there are hundreds of different species of magical beings. A fae is just one type."

Toby's eyes grew wide and he stared at Jareth in awe. He had no idea there were different types of magical folk.

"So if Scarlett isn't fae then just what is she? And why is she in the human world?" He asked, desperate to know the answers.

"Ah, now that is a conversation you need to have with her, yourself." Jareth replied. "Talk to her, Toby. I think you'll find she will be extremely relieved to learn that you are familiar with magic." Jareth smiled at him compassionately.

"Ok," Toby replied, "but tomorrow is the day we break-up for the Christmas holidays, and Scarlett and her family always go away for Christmas. So it will have to wait until she gets back."

Jareth nodded solemnly. "I think a break to mull over everything you have learned tonight would be very welcoming, before you talk to the young lady."

Toby silently agreed, and although flummoxed and still filled with about a million questions, he felt happy that they had had this heart-to-heart chat tonight.

"You said before that there is only one other force more powerful than magic." He said to Jareth.

"I did," Jareth replied. "It is a force that exists in us all."

Toby smiled at Jareth, knowing exactly what he was talking about.

"It's love, isn't it?"

* * *

"There, that's the last one. Thank god for that." Sarah puffed as she hung the very last Christmas bauble on the huge Christmas tree in her living room.

She was getting very tired these days, something that bothered her greatly as Sarah was not the type of woman who liked sitting around doing nothing all day. She was a go-getter, and when something needed done, she would not feel at peace with herself until the task had been completed. She would be glad to get back to work after the holidays.

For years they had the same tradition. On the day Toby finished school for the holidays, the two siblings along with Jareth would put up the Christmas tree together, then go to the local Christmas market for hot chocolate. They had done this since Toby was little. This year was sadly different though, as Jareth was of course not here, and Toby. Well, Toby had other things on his mind and wasn't exactly in the mood for any festive activities.

Sarah had not seen him since their altercation last night. She had been so drained from the whole fiasco, that when she had finished talking to Jareth through the crystal, she fell straight asleep, for thirteen hours to be exact. When she finally rose from her slumber, Toby had already left for school.

Looking at the beautifully decorated tree, Sarah felt a pang of misery. This would be the last Christmas the three of them would spend together. Everything was about to change; She was going to be a mother and she was going to be a Goblin Queen. Both of which scared the hell out of her. Everything she knew about life was about to be turned upside down. This Christmas was supposed to be special, but instead Jareth couldn't be present, and Toby was pissed off and heart broken. Not exactly the cheerful one she had hoped for.

Sarah jumped as the front door opened and footsteps strode hastily down the hall towards the living room. Toby stepped into the room and his eyes grew wide when he saw the Christmas tree.

"Oh! You got the tree up." He said in a surprised tone.

"Yeah, I hope you don't mind." Sarah replied, "I've been home all day and needed something to do."

"No, it's ok," He smiled at her. "It's pretty. I love it."

Sarah smiled back at him feeling a little relieved that he was talking to her again and seemed to be in better form. He had barely spoken to her all week, let alone smile at her.

"Can I talk to you about something?" He asked her.

"Of course." Sarah replied, gesturing toward the sofa. They both sat down and there was a small pause as Toby thought about what he was going to say.

"Sarah," He said shyly, "I'm sorry for behaving like such a jerk last night. It was really uncalled for."

Sarah looked into Toby's eyes and could see them twinkling with sincerity. "It's ok, Toby." She said gently.

"No, it really isn't." He replied, shaking his head regretfully. "What I'm going through…" He trailed off, looking away from her and sighing. "You didn't do anything wrong and I totally took my anger out on the wrong person." Toby looked back at her. "I'm sorry for shouting at you. And…I'm _so_ sorry for saying those things about the baby."

Sarah smiled softly at Toby. He had been through a lot in his short life. He didn't have parents he could talk to, and his sister was much older than him. Now he was going through his first break-up, and really all he had were her and Jareth.

"Hey," she said sympathetically, "brothers and sisters fight sometimes. It's the very first rule in the sibling handbook."

Toby smiled back at her and an unspoken understanding connected the two of them together as they both laughed.

"Oh, wait," He said, standing up. "I have something for you. Wait here."

Sarah heard him running upstairs to his room and watched eagerly as he came back into the living room with something hidden behind his back. What was it he had for her?

"Well, it's really for the baby." He smiled at her and handed her something soft.

Sarah took the item from him and stared down at it, instantly knowing what it was. She recognised that little scruffy brown bear from anywhere.

"Lancelot?" She said. Sarah had received Lancelot when she was a child, he was her absolute favourite thing in the world at one point. When Toby was a baby, he started to find comfort in the bear too, which at the time angered Sarah. But running the Labyrinth had taught her a thing or two about showing kindness to others. After that, Sarah decided that Toby needed the bear more than she did. She had no idea that he had kept him all these years.

"Yeah!" Toby exclaimed happily. "I used to love this bear. He's not as polished as he once was, but he has served me well. I want the baby to have him now. Maybe he or she will find comfort in him too."

Sarah felt her eyes beginning to fill with heart-warming tears at this act of love. She stood up and threw her arms around her brother. It meant so much to her.

"Thank you, Toby. That's very sweet. I'm sure the baby will love him." She said through her tears.

"You don't need to thank me. You're my sister." He replied back. "Hey look, you forgot about the star." He said, breaking their hug apart. Sarah wondered what he meant until he picked up the star that usually sat on the top of the tree, off the coffee table.

"Oh, you're right. I did" She replied. She couldn't have put it on top of the tree even if she had remembered about it, she wasn't tall enough to reach. And, being in her condition she didn't really want to stand on a chair.

Toby, being much taller than she was, took the star and plonked it at the very top.

"There," He smiled. "Now that the Christmas tree is complete, we can continue our usual ritual of braving the crowd at the market for mediocre hot chocolate."

Sarah smiled at her brother. "I'd like that."

* * *

"So you really think I should talk to Scarlett about this whole thing?"

"Well, Jareth thinks you should." Sarah replied, fluffing her scarf. Damn it was cold tonight at the Christmas market. The two siblings were perched on a bench sipping their hot chocolate.

"I can't believe she's not a normal girl." Toby said disdainfully to her. "Why didn't she tell me?"

Sarah gripped her paper cup tighter, partly using it as a little radiator to warm her hands up, even though they were wrapped up in fluffy gloves.

Christmas music hummed softly in the background as the market was abuzz with excited children and hopeful Christmas shoppers hopping from stall to stall. Fairy lights were arranged beautifully on all the trees and the smell of sweet pastries and gingerbread hung in the air.

"You weren't exactly honest with her either." She replied.

"Hey, that wasn't my secret to tell." Toby said. "I wanted to protect you and the baby."

"Well, perhaps Scarlett has her reasons, too." Sarah reckoned with him. "The only thing you can do is talk to her. These things have a way of working out."

"I guess so." Toby replied, thinkingly. "So when is Jareth coming back?"

"I wish I knew, kiddo." Sarah replied gloomily. Jareth had expected to be back before now, however, he and this other king had not reached an agreement on the matter at hand. Unfortunately, it didn't look like he would be back in time for Christmas, which was in five days' time. This depressed Sarah, but at least she had Toby, and of course her little bump with her to celebrate.

Their family was small, but it meant everything to her. And, as she told herself before, this would most likely be her last Christmas with Toby. She had to make the most of it.

"Come on, let's go get some pumpkin pie." She smiled at him.

* * *

Sarah was aware that somebody was calling her name, be she did not want to be roused from her sleep just yet. The baby had decided that the whole of last night was the perfect time to expel the entire contents of her stomach, and her head had been engaged with the toilet all night. She was completely shattered and didn't want to move. But Toby had other plans and came bursting through her bedroom door, like an excited child.

"Hey! Wake up Sleeping Beauty!" He bellowed. "Don't you know it's Christmas morning?!"

Sarah groaned and lifted her head from her pillow to look at him.

"Toby, no offence, kiddo, but aren't you a little too old to be getting excited about Christmas?" She said, sleepily rubbing her eyes.

"Oh, don't be a scrooge, Sarah. You're never too old for Christmas!" He smiled at her. "Now, come on! There's a surprise for you downstairs." He said elatedly.

"Fine." She groaned pulling back her bedsheets and getting up. "But just let me freshen up a bit and I'll be right down."

"You better be!" Toby shouted as he bounced out the door again in a hurry.

Ten minutes later and feeling far more refreshed, Sarah crept downstairs towards the living room. She didn't know what Toby had planned for her but it better be darn well worth the tiredness she was feeling. Walking into the living room, another giant yawn forced her to close her eyes. When she opened them, Sarah stopped dead in her tracks.

On the floor, right in front of the Christmas tree, was her beloved Goblin King, on bended knee, holding a ring out to her.

"Oh, my god." She gasped, clutching her hand to heart when as the reality of what was happening sank in. "Oh…my…god." She repeated, not quite believing what she was seeing. Jareth wasn't even supposed to be here, let alone be proposing to her.

"Sarah, my beautiful Queen in waiting," His honeyed voice drifted deliciously into her ears. "I love you with all that I have, and all that I am. Will you be my wife, my Queen, for all of forever?"

Tears of happiness began to pour down her face as she ran over to him.

"Yes!" She cried as he slid the beautiful solitaire diamond ring onto her finger gently. "Yes, of course I will!"

He lifted into her arms and twirled her round the living room. They held each other as if it had been a thousand years since they last met, Jareth peppering her face and hair with soft kisses. When they broke apart, Jareth cupped her face in his hands and smiled lovingly at her. Sarah could just about make him out through the stream of tears. She hadn't felt this happy in a long time.

"I think this calls for a celebration, Jareth." She heard Toby say from the corner of the room. She had almost forgotten he was there, in the midst of all this.

"I agree." Jareth replied, still smiling. "And what is a celebration without old friends?"

"What do you mean?" Sarah choked, wiping away her tears.

"Look around, my love." Jareth whispered affectionately.

Sarah turned around and heard laughter and chatter, as goblins started to flood into her living room. She laughed aloud as they happily jumped up and down shouting "She said yes! Kingy's going to get a Queeny!"

And not only goblins, but other creatures from the labyrinth she recognised started to appear too; faeries fluttered above her head, attracted by the lights of the Christmas tree, Firey creatures gleefully took of their heads and started to throw them to each other like beach balls, and a giant ball of rust-coloured fluff caught Sarah's eyes

"Ludo?!" She squealed, unsure if it was really him she was seeing.

"Sawah and Ludo still fwiends." He roared. It _was_ Ludo! Sarah screeched with happiness and threw her arms round the big beast, not quite believing that he was here in her living room.

"Such an honour to meet with Mi'lady after all this time." She heard a high-pitched, yappy voice say from beside Ludo.

"Yeh haven't forgotten about us, now have yeh, Sarah?" A gruff, yet familiar voice also called. It couldn't be, could it...?

"Hoggle! Sir Didymus!" Sarah screamed as she knelt on her knees to wrap them up in the biggest hug. She hadn't seen Hoggle or any of her other friends in the longest time. Years, actually. It was an amazing surprise to be able to talk to them again.

"Oh, I've missed you all so much!" She cried looking back and forth between all of them. "What are you all doing here?"

"Cwistmas wif Sawah" Ludo bellowed.

"Yes, we've come to spend Christmas with you, young maiden." Said Sir Didymus, with a low bow. Sarah giggled and slightly blushed. She wasn't a young maiden anymore.

"And celebrate the King's betrothal, o' course." Hoggle said. "Not t' mention the news of the future royal babe. I know what yer thinkin' Sarah, and the answer is yes, I will gladly keep an eye on 'em for yeh. Someone's gotta show 'em the ropes round the Labyrinth."

"Oh, Hoggle." Sarah replied, her heart melting. She pulled him into another hug then looked up at Jareth, who was smiling at her lovingly.

Sarah stood up and walked over to him, feeling very emotional indeed.

"Merry Christmas, my darling." He whispered, taking her into his arms.

"Thank you," She sobbed. "And thank you, too" She said to Toby, who had now joined them. "I presume you knew about this?" She asked him.

"Of course I did." He beamed. "Who do you think helped him choose the ring? This has been planned for a while."

"Oh, what am I going to do with the two of you?" She laughed, looking down at her shiny new engagement ring. "It's beautiful."

"Well, Toby and I wanted to make our last Christmas together, one you'll cherish forever." Jareth said.

Feeling overwhelmed with emotion, Sarah threw her arms round them both.

"I will never forget this day." She whispered. "Never."

* * *

Hope you enjoyed this chapter and the extra-gooey Christmas fluff I injected into it! Tis' the season after all ^_^. You know, I thought that by chapter six I would have been done with this story, buy you guys keep leaving such nice comments that it had made me so invested in it! Thank you so much for the reviews, I appreciate them so much. If I don't get to post again before Christmas, I hope everyone who celebrates has an amazing time with your loved ones. Season's greetings, dear readers ^_^.


	7. Chapter 7

Sarah smiled contentedly and snuggled deeper into the warmth of Jareth's chest as her mind danced between the state of sleep and consciousness. She could feel him nuzzle the side of his face against her hair and a rush of oxytocin surged through her as he hummed a sweet melody into her ear. Sarah loved the sound of Jareth's voice, especially when he was singing to her. She recalled a time when Jareth had told her that nearly all fae people were born with beautiful singing voices, but very rarely did they use their skills to sing to, or about, anyone other than the one they loved. This only added to the joy she was feeling at this present moment.

After a few minutes the humming stopped, and Sarah came around to full consciousness as Jareth planted soft kisses into her hair. She sleepily looked up at him and when their eyes met, he smiled tenderly at her.

"Good morning, my love," He whispered, his eyes twinkling with adoration. He was so beautiful that Sarah could not help but smile back at him.

"Morning," She yawned, and began to rub her tired eyes.

"Happy new year."

Sarah had almost forgotten today was New Year's Day. In fact, her and Jareth had not even made it to midnight to see it in. Toby had asked her if he could attend a party that one of his friends was having and Sarah, feeling so delighted that he was showing an interest in seeing his friends and going out again after his breakup, was only too happy to oblige. So it had just been her and Jareth here last night. They had decided to take full advantage of having the house to themselves and well, one thing had led to another.

"Oh no," She said regretfully, glancing at the clock and seeing it was 08:00am, "we completely missed the countdown last night."

She felt a low chuckle rumble through Jareth's chest. "Well, precious, we were a tad preoccupied." He winked at her and flashed that mischievous smile that rendered her senses powerless.

Sarah giggled and felt her cheeks blush slightly.

"You were so exhausted after our…ahem, _activities_ last night that I couldn't bear to wake you at midnight," He said gently, placing a soft kiss on her brow.

Sarah blushed even harder and burrowed her face further into Jareth's chest, feeling the heat from her cheeks meeting it, as he once again chortled at her, knowing damn well he was embarrassing the hell out of her. One of his many amusements. "Did Toby come home?" She asked, changing the subject.

"No, not yet" He replied coolly, "but I shouldn't worry too much about him, he is a sensible lad."

Sarah nodded enjoying the peace and quiet of the morning as he wrapped his arms around her lovingly. Today was a rare day that she didn't wake up feeling like she was going to throw up. She was off work for another four days and although she was itching to get back to teaching, she didn't miss the early mornings, rushing around and making sure Toby was out the door in time for school. It was nice just to lie here with her skin against her beloved Goblin King's skin, his body heat and the warmth of the bed quilt enveloping her and making her feel sleepy again. Sarah inhaled deeply as she took in his scent. She truly loved this man. She couldn't wait to have his child. She couldn't wait to marry him and become his Queen. Sometimes it just felt so surreal that she had to pinch herself to make sure it was actually real.

"Jareth?" She said, breaking the still silence.

"Hmm?" He replied drowsily, twirling a lock of her hair between his fingers.

"In just a few weeks we will have the option of finding out the baby's sex." She said excitedly.

"Really?" He asked astonishingly, and Sarah could feel him looking down at her, "humans have a way of finding out that information before the child is born?"

Sarah tittered. It was not often that Jareth showed his naivety. After all, he was centuries old and the man was a vessel of knowledge. "Yes, for quite some time now," She smiled, "not everyone wants to find out though. Some people like to have the surprise of not knowing until the baby's born."

"Well, precious, I will let that decision lie entirely with you," He said thoughtfully, "I am happy either way."

Sarah thought about it for a few minutes. It would be nice to know if they were having a boy or a girl. They could choose the baby's name and buy cute clothes and other things. Plus the not-knowing would drive her nuts.

"I think I'd like to find out," She said after a few minutes.

She felt Jareth's lips press down on the top of her head.

"Then let's do just that." He replied.

"Would you be happy with either sex?" Sarah asked curiously.

"Oh yes," He replied jovially, "Sarah, I am extremely delighted, and not to mention honoured, that you have fallen pregnant and are carrying my child. To a fae there is no greater joy. I care not a jot if the baby is a boy or a girl."

Sarah relaxed once more against Jareth's body and grinned. She had the same stance as Jareth, and didn't mind what sex the baby was, he or she would have parents who loved them all the same. She understood what Jareth meant when he said there was no greater joy to a fae than having a child; he had explained to her a long time ago that while fae folk lived forever, the universe naturally balanced it out by making it so that the fae race could not easily procreate with their own kind. It was a miracle his own mother had been able carry and give birth to him.

A few more minutes of silence passed by and Sarah felt her eyelids beginning to droop and make way for more sleep. She was just about to drift off when Jareth spoke to her and broke her out of her trance.

"Sarah, there is something I would like to ask you."

"You already asked me, and I said yes." She smiled, subconsciously rubbing her finger over her engagement ring.

A burst of laughter escaped from his lips and the vibrations rang through her ear. "And I'm very glad you did," He said sweetly, "however I have another request. The news of the engagement, and of course the pregnancy, has been most celebrated in the Underground, and as such my parents wish to congratulate us. I know you won't exactly be thrilled about this, but they have asked that we join them for a celebratory dinner in their kingdom."

Sarah's eyes flew wide open at this, and she sat up and looked at Jareth, who she noticed had a rather apprehensive look on his face. His parents wanted her to have dinner with them? Sarah had met Jareth's parents a handful of times over the years, and while his father was a perfectly pleasant man who Sarah genuinely liked, his mother was another story. She had made it clear from day one that she didn't deem a silly little human such as Sarah a worthy enough partner for her perfect full-fae son. Suddenly she felt very nervous.

"But Jareth, your mother hates me," She cried anxiously.

Jareth's face softened at her fretfulness and he brought his hand up to lovingly stroke her cheek. "She doesn't hate you, darling." He said comfortingly, "she is just set in her old ways. She's of a different era. In her day it was uncommon for fae and humans to become an item."

"Are they happy about the baby?" Sarah asked cautiously. She didn't really care how his mother viewed their engagement, but her own motherly instincts kicked in and she felt protective over the baby. She would not associate with people who looked down their nose at her child.

"Very much so." He flashed a genuine smile at her, and Sarah instantly felt a little better about the situation. "Sarah, I won't force you to attend this dinner if it isn't your wish to do so," he continued, kindly, "however, it would mean a great deal to me if you did."

Sarah gazed into his eyes and she could see they were pleading with her. Jareth's mother was a cold, prejudiced and distant woman. It was obvious that she didn't approve of the relationships of fae and humans. Hell, it was obvious that she didn't approve of humans, full stop. However, she was still his mother, and if it were not for her, Jareth wouldn't even exist. _What a horrible fact_, Sarah thought.

"Of course I'll attend," She replied, against her better judgement, as Jareth's face broke into a pleasant smile. The woman would be her mother-in-law soon, and the baby's grandmother. She couldn't very well ignore her forever. Besides, she has requested that Sarah join them for dinner, if Sarah refused to go it would just drive a wedge further between the two of them.

"Thank you, precious," Jareth whispered, as he took her into his arms and cuddled her. "The dinner is tomorrow night."

Sarah inwardly flinched at this. Tomorrow night? She wasn't expecting it to be so soon. That left her with practically no time to prepare.

"Just be yourself, darling," he cooed into her hair, sensing her unease, "I love and adore you exactly the way you are, and she will come to as well, eventually."

She didn't like the sound of that 'eventually'. She'd rather Jareth's mother accept who she was now. But Sarah was a mature woman and would deal with it in a sensible manner. So the woman didn't like her. What's the worst she could do to Sarah?

* * *

It was 09:00am on New Year's Day and Toby still hadn't slept. In fact, he wasn't even tired. He was having a blast at his friend Mattie's New Year's Eve party, which had started thirteen hours ago and was still going strong. Mattie's parents weren't even here as they had gone away on holidays two days prior. Even if they were here, Toby reckoned that they wouldn't care about their son throwing a loud, unsupervised, potentially risky party; they were simply too easy-going. Thankfully, the party hadn't been too wild, sure some kids managed to sneak beer and other alcohol into it, but so far there were no drunken antics, no visits from the police, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

The only thing that had been mildly annoying was that Mattie had been trying all night to hook Toby up with his cousin Rebecca. Out of politeness Toby had made conversation with the girl, and she seemed like a very bright, very pleasant person. He learned that she was into comic books and video games, was just as obsessed about space and science as he was, and this gave them something to talk about. As lovely as she was though, Toby was not interested in striking up any kind of romance with her.

"Come on, Toby," Mattie moaned to him, "she's been making eyes at you all night."

Toby glanced sideways at Rebecca, who was standing at the doorway between the kitchen and the hallway, seemingly by herself, looking around at all the groups of people chatting at the party. She was indeed a very cute girl. She had sparkly green eyes, wavy blonde hair that cascaded down her back, a freckly face and a very petite build. She was also very polite and seemed like a sweet girl. They had talked on and off all night. Rebecca looked over and when her eyes met with Toby's she smiled and gave a little wave.

"Yo, Mattie, this party be poppin'!" Came the voice of their other friend, Jamal, as he bounced over to them, looking very pleased with himself. "I got the phone numbers of three different girls, man, and they are _H-O-T hot_! Ha-ha!"

"See?" Mattie said to Toby, "Jamal's hooking up with girls. Hell, even dorky Daniel Myers got a New Year's kiss last night, and he smells like he hasn't used deodorant in about three months!"

"Wait, you _still_ not got together with Becca?" Jamal asked, frowning. "Dude, she's totally into you. Lyndsey told Nicole, who told Mark, who told Asher, who told Katie, who then told me that Becca said you was totally fly. You better get over there before she leaves."

Toby squirmed uncomfortably. He knew his friends were only looking out for him, but he really had no intention of pursuing a relationship with Rebecca. His heart belonged to one girl only. Even if they weren't together anymore.

"That's what I've been telling him for hours," Mattie sighed at he ran a hand through his longish hair, which was almost as pale as his skin. "but this fool doesn't want anything to do with her. He's still pining over Scarlett."

"Toby, Toby, Toby," Jamal tutted and put an arm round Toby's shoulders, shaking his head. The beer he had been consuming throughout the early hours had obviously gone to his head. "Let me tell you something, my dude. I know you was with Scarlett for a long time, man, but the girl just out-right dumped you for missing _one_ volleyball match."

"It was a tennis match," Toby said defensively, "And it was an important one, it was her team's semi-finals."

"Whatever, man," Jamal continued, "She cut you loose, and it's time you moved on. You be a really sound dude, and she didn't deserve you anyway, so forget about her."

"Exactly," Said Mattie, "you're too good for her. You'll find another girl who treats you better."

Toby stared at his best friends and gave a small smile. He, Mattie and Jamal had been friends since first grade, and he loved them like brothers. When Toby and Scarlett first got together his friends had been really happy for him. When she ended things with him, they had got angry and upset on Toby's behalf, and were now trying to do everything in their power to cheer him up. He only wished that he could tell them the real reason he missed the tennis match, and about how Scarlett was actually a supernatural being.

"Look guys," he said softly to them, "You're my best friends and I totally appreciate that you care about me and want to make me stop hurting. But the truth is, I'm not over Scarlett. I don't know when I will be, or if I ever will be. I miss her so much; I can't even think about dating anyone else right now. You guys understand, right?"

Mattie and Jamal looked at each other and their faces softened.

"Sure we do, man." Jamal said with a smile, "we just trying to get you out of this funk."

"I know," Toby replied "and I'm grateful for that. I just need more time. Are we cool?" he smiled at them and they both returned the smile.

"Yeah, we're cool." Mattie said.

"Cool," Jamal replied.

"Cool," Toby said, "well anyway, I'm going to head home now before Sarah flips out. Thanks for the party, man. It was awesome."

"See ya, Tobes," He heard his friends call as Toby made his way out of Mattie's house and started to walk towards the car.

"Wait!" He heard a sweet voice yell. Toby turned around to see Rebecca stumbling out after him. "You're not going yet, are you Toby?" She asked, drunkenly tottering all over the place.

"Yeah, my sister's probably wondering where I am. I've been out all night and she'll probably freak." He replied.

"Yeah, you know," Rebecca slurred, "My parents will probably go nutso on me too. I should get going as well."

Toby's eyed widened in horror as Rebecca fished into her handbag and took out her car keys.

"Becca, you can't be seriously considering driving home after drinking all night!" He boomed at her, shocked she would do such a reckless thing.

"Why not, my house is only three blocks away." She smiled at him, "Or is it four? You know, I really can't recall at this point in time, but I'll be fine." She staggered past him towards her car and Toby, feeling completely panicked, ran after her.

"No, you can't drive!" He said sternly to her. "You could hit somebody!"

"Well, I can't exactly walk either," She giggled at him, her feet a bit on the wobbly side. She was right, she was in no fit state to either walk or drive. And getting her a cab on New Year's Day would cost a fortune and also take forever. Toby sighed as it dawned on him that there was only one other option of getting this girl back to her home safely.

"Look, I'll give you a lift home in my car." He said, despite himself.

"Really? You'd do that for me, Toby?" Rebecca cried as he walked her towards Sarah's car.

Once they were pulled up outside her house, Toby looked at the mess Rebecca was in. Like many of the teens at the party she had gotten completely drunk. What would her parents say? He knew that if he had returned home in this state then Sarah would make sure he never saw the light of day again. He was glad he decided to abstain from drinking.

"Becca, you parents are going to be so mad when they see how drunk you are." He said worryingly.

"Like they're going to find out," She said, "they're brain surgeons, all they ever do is work, work, work. They're never home," Rebecca pouted sulkily, before opening the car door and promptly collapsing to the ground in a heap. Toby sighed and exited the car to go around and help her up and make sure she got to her front door.

After trying and failing to put the key into the lock, Toby took it from her and opened the door for her. She sauntered past him down the hallway and Toby followed, wanting to make sure she didn't do anything else stupid. Rebecca sighed happily as she sat down on her parent's couch and patted the space beside her with her hand, indicating that she wanted Toby to sit beside her.

Toby inwardly groaned, "Becca, I really have to go now. You're home safe, I've got things to do."

"Please?" She asked kicking her heels off, "I promise I just want to talk,"

Toby stood at the doorway and hesitated. This girl had just had her first proper conversation with him about twelve hours ago. Although Toby, being Mattie's best friend, had met Rebecca a few times before, he was still practically a stranger and here she was inviting him into her house while she was inebriated, and her parents weren't home. What made her think she could trust him so much? He looked at her and was surprised to see tears forming in her eyes.

"You know," she said emotionally "everybody thinks my life is so great because I have rich parents and live in a mansion. But the truth is, none of those things are important in life. Money can't buy you happiness. I'm just so lonely," Tears started to pour down her face and she wiped them away quickly.

Toby sighed. He had got the girl home safe and just wanted to leave now. But how could he leave with her crying about how unhappy her life was? Damn him for being so caring. Though it went against every fibre of his being, Toby gingerly walked to the couch and sat beside Rebecca.

"What do you mean?" He asked her.

Rebecca sniffed a few times before answering, "People just assume because my folks have money that my life is so perfect and I'm just this happy little rich girl. But I'm not perfect. I'm not happy," More tears fell down her face, "I don't have any real friends, they just want to hang about with me because all the cool things I have. Even when I was little, I never got the chance to play with other little girls. My parents hired nannies to look after me, and most of the time they didn't even want to talk to me, they just sent me to my room. I just feel so alone sometimes."

Toby started to feel desperately sad for this girl. Before she had got totally drunk at the party, Toby had been speaking to her earlier that night. She came across as a very sweet and smart girl, with lots of depth and intelligence. Mattie had told him about her parents being loaded. He never imagined she was secretly feeling so depressed. Guess it was true that you never really knew what was going on in a person's life.

"Don't cry, Becca," He said gently, "You're a really nice girl. I enjoyed our conversations tonight."

"You. You did?" She asked him, stunned.

"Yeah," Toby said happily "I mean, your theory on time travel just blew my mind." It was true, the possibility of time travelling was fascinating and a topic that Toby loved to discuss. "Look, you're really clever and you have some amazing ideas. I'm sure you'll find your crowd."

"Do you really think that?" She asked, snivelling.

"Yes, absolutely," Toby replied kindly, "and from what Mattie told me, you're smashing all your classes at school. I'm sure your parents are super proud of you for that."

Rebecca looked down at her hands and gave a small, humourless laugh, "My mom and dad are never around to even notice my achievements. They might as well just be dead." Suddenly her eyes widened, and she looked at Toby with a panicked expression on her face, "Oh my god," She gasped, "Toby I'm so sorry for saying that, it was hugely insensitive of me. God, what is wrong with me?"

"It's ok," Toby replied, sincerely meaning it, "I know you didn't mean anything by it."

She sniffed again and smiled at him, "You're just such a great guy. I'm sorry you had to bring me home from the party. I didn't mean to drink so much. I didn't mean to drink _at all_," She looked back down at her hands again, her cheeks turning rosy.

"Why did you?" Toby asked, confused, "forgive me for sounding presumptuous, but you don't strike me as the type of person who regularly thinks it's a good idea to get wasted and try to drive the car home. You're far too smart for that. So what made you do it?"

"Oh, I don't know," She said, playing with her fingers, her eyes filling with tears again, "I didn't know anyone at the party apart from Matthew,"

Toby's eyebrows knitted together in confusion at who Matthew was, but then he remembered that's what Mattie's actual name was.

"I just felt really out of place, like I was out of my depth." Becca continued, "I was afraid people were going to think I was a stuffy killjoy if I didn't have a drink. I just kept drinking to calm my nerves. But it had the opposite effect and I felt like you were the only person I could talk to."

Toby smiled sadly, understanding what she meant. He had been the only person at the party to show any interest in her and strike up a conversation with her. No wonder the girl didn't want him to leave. It all made sense now; she wasn't trying to hook up with him, she just wanted a friend.

"You shouldn't give a toss about what other people think of you, their opinion doesn't matter," Toby said confidently, "Becca, you gotta put yourself out there and show people who you really are. That's the reason you don't have any real friends. It's not because people don't like you, it's just you don't give them a chance to see the real you. Start opening up more, you know?" Suddenly Toby had ingenious idea. He could help this girl be more confident, but he had to wait until he got back home to do it.

Rebecca smiled shyly at Toby, "Thank you," She said appreciatively, and to Toby's surprise, she threw her arms around him in a hug, probably one that she had been needing for some time, Toby thought. "You're a nice guy, Toby."

Technically Toby wasn't doing anything wrong. Other than possibly being her friend, he had no future plans with Rebecca. And yet, he couldn't help feeling slightly uncomfortable at the hug. Thankfully Rebecca pulled back and she seemed to have sobered up a bit more than when they first came into the house. Perhaps all she needed was a good cry and someone to talk to.

"I gotta get going now," Toby said to her, "do you think you'll be ok?"

Rebecca nodded and smiled at Toby. "I'll be fine. I'm going to go sleep off this brain fog."

Toby walked out to the hall with her and watched her as she climbed up the huge marble staircase, wanting to be sure that she didn't fall and hurt herself. Man, she hadn't been lying when she said her parents were rich. This house was beautiful. When she got to the top of the staircase she turned around and stared back down at him.

"Thank you, for everything," She said meekly.

"No problem," Toby smiled at her, "and remember what I said ok? Be open to new challenges."

"I will," she smiled back at him, before disappearing down the hall and Toby heard her bedroom door close.

Finally, Toby was able to go home.

* * *

When he got in, Toby found Sarah washing up in the kitchen. "Key, kiddo," She smiled at him cheerfully, "Happy new year."

"Happy new year, Sarah." He replied pleasantly. "Did you and Jareth have a good night?" He asked

"Oh- yes, we had a lovely night. Didn't really do much. Pretty boring." She laughed, and Toby could have sworn she was slightly blushing. "How was the party? I was starting to get worried about you, you were away all night."

Toby mulled over how his night was. So many mixed emotions. He genuinely had a good night and enjoyed spending time with his friends, it was a good way to get Scarlett of his mind. Except it didn't. His mind kept wandering back to her and how much he wanted to talk to her. Then his friends kept trying to set him up with Rebecca and it just made him miss Scarlett even more. But at the same time he felt good because Rebecca obviously needed to talk to someone about how she was feeling, and she felt like she could confide in him.

"It was a great party," He replied, sparing Sarah of all the finer details of what happened.

"Still missing Scarlett, huh?" She asked him with a small, sad smile.

"How does everyone keep knowing that?" He asked.

"Well, you can see it in your eyes," Sarah replied kindly, "when does she get back from vacation?"

"Today."

Sarah finished washing the dishes and dried her hands on a tea towel. Toby watched curiously as she walked over to the cordless phone that was attached to the kitchen wall and brought it over to him. He stared up at her as if she was presenting him with some outrageous task.

"Call her," She said to him, "you can straighten this whole mess out very easily, but you need to talk to her. Agree to meet her somewhere face to face and discuss everything."

Toby very slowly took the phone of Sarah and his heart started hammering. What would he even say to her? What if she hung up on him, or if by some miracle she spoke to him, what if she refused to meet up with him?

"Ok, I'll share something with you," Sarah said to him, reading his hesitation. "Tomorrow night Jareth's mother has requested that I visit her kingdom and have dinner with her."

"But I thought she hated you?" Toby frowned in confusion.

"She does. And this is an important lesson for you to learn," She said with her best teacher voice. "Sometimes in life we have to deal with things we'd rather not deal with. And sometimes we must interact with people we'd rather not interact with. It's just a part of becoming an adult. We have to act maturely and responsibly like, grown-ups."

Toby hated when she went all high school teacher on him. She was always right, and he had to face up to the consequence of whatever life lesson she was teaching him.

"Now, you don't want to contact Scarlett, and I don't particularly want to meet with Jareth's mother. Two things that we are both dreading, yet they both need doing. So how about we both get these things over and done with and see what happens?" She said.

"Ok," He said eventually, thinking about what she said. She was right, he was going to be an adult soon and would oversee his own life.

"Good answer, kiddo," She smiled at him, and Toby headed upstairs with the phone. If he was going to talk to his ex-girlfriend, he wanted to be able to do so in the comfort of his own room.

Just when he was about to dial Scarlett's number Toby noticed something glinting out of the corner of his eye. He walked over to his bedside table and saw the twinkling was coming from the crystal that Jareth had given him. "Oh, yeah," He said to himself, remembering the idea had had in Rebecca's house about helping her to make friends. Her barely knew the girl but he did feel some sort of connection with her today her and hated to see people struggle.

Toby held the crystal in his hands, just like Jareth had told him to do. This was the first time he had used it and he wasn't entirely sure what to expect from it. "I wish that Becca had the confidence to be herself so she can make friends. Friends who will like her, for who she really is."

He watched the crystal and could see the gold and silver magic inside it swirling around like a twister. The outside of the crystal began to glow, and it felt warm in his hands. After a few moments the magic stopped moving and rested at the bottom of the crystal. The uplifting glow faded, and it went back to its original state.

"I guess that's that." He said to himself, assuming the crystal had worked its magic. "If only I could ask you to get Scarlett and me back together. That would be so awesome." He sighed longingly, setting the crystal back on his bedside table. It wasn't that he hadn't been sorely temped to try that wish, but Jareth had warned him that magic did not work when it came to the forces of love. It was too powerful and too precious to be tampered with.

Toby sat down on his bed and picked up the phone. He didn't know if Scarlett would give him a chance to explain himself, but one thing was for sure; he had to try and win her back.

* * *

A/N- Ooh, looks like Sarah and Toby both have rather interesting events happening next chapter! Once again, I would like to thank you for all your support and ask you to continue to let me know if you like the story.


	8. Chapter 8

Sarah tugged on her dress uncomfortably while staring into Jareth's gorgeous ornate, handcrafted mirror and sighed wearingly. She was feeling very pregnant today, and the dress that Jareth had chosen for her to wear to his parents' dinner was doing nothing to help her insecurities. Being almost fifteen weeks pregnant, Sarah wanted nothing more than to be back in her own world lounging around on her sofa, in leggings and a long, soft t-shirt. But here she was in Jareth's castle preparing for tonight.

It wasn't that the dress was hideous, it was in fact a rather lovely gown; periwinkle in colour with delicate lace along the low neckline, full-length sleeves and a long, flowing skirt. Sarah would have been thrilled to wear it if she weren't feeling so unconfident about her ever-changing body.

"Jareth," She said hesitantly as she once again pulled at the material around her stomach, "Do I really have to wear this dress? Can't I wear one of my own? I look and feel like a blue whale during mating season."

Jareth walked over to Sarah and put his arms around her bump from behind. He gazed lovingly at her reflection and placed a soft kiss on Sarah's neck. "Sarah, you are blooming!" He replied with exhilaration, smiling widely at her. "You look beautiful, sweetheart. Your skin is glowing, your hair has never been in better condition, your breasts are engorged," He winked playfully at her, "And most beautiful of all, your pregnancy is starting to show. You look radiant darling, truly." He planted a few more kisses on her neck and one on her cheek before returning to the other side of his bedchamber to finish getting ready.

"But I feel so… fat." Sarah whined rather sulkily. She knew she was behaving like the teenage girls she taught at school, but she couldn't help it. She was nervous enough about this dinner with Jareth's mother and father, she didn't need to be wearing a dress that made sure all the attention would be on her baby bump.

"You are pregnant, Sarah," He answered gently, "Weight gain is only to be expected. In the Underground it is customary to wear clothes that accentuate a pregnancy. Such a miracle does not occur very often."

Looking in the mirror again, Sarah scolded herself, despite feeling so hormonal. She knew she should really be counting her blessings instead of complaining. There were many women, even in the human world, who struggled to get pregnant. The baby hadn't been planned, but it was very much wanted.

"I know," She replied quietly, "I'm just not used to it. And to be honest, I feel a little anxious about tonight."

Jareth strode over to her and took her hands into his own. He tenderly kissed the back of them before gazing into her eyes. "You have nothing to worry about, precious," He whispered, "I love you. You are going to be my Goblin queen, and we're going to have a beautiful child together. That's all there is to it. Nothing in existence will stop that from happening. It does not matter what my mother thinks of you, Sarah. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is our love."

He was always doing this; using his charm and good nature to make her feel more at ease. Sarah pulled him into a hug and melted into his chest, needing the comfort. Jareth responded by wrapping his arms around her back and placing his cheek on the top of her head, also enjoying the physical contact. After a few moments, he broke the hug and placed his hand under Sarah's chin, gently tilting her head up so he could look into her eyes.

"You're the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on," He purred, making her cheeks blush. "You're also the most stubborn, strong, spirited woman, whose kindness and intelligence can't be measured. You're everything a man could ever wish for, human or fae. The problem is not yours, precious, so please, do not let my mother make you feel anything less than cherished. I will be right there to defend and honour my Queen."

A small smile played on Sarah's lips and Jareth kissed her on the forehead. She felt him take her hand into his.

"Come, my love," He said, "It is time. My parents await us."

* * *

Stifling a yawn, Sarah glanced over at Jareth with weary eyes. It felt like they had been waiting for an eternity for his mother and father to arrive to the dining room. He smiled at her comfortingly, knowing that it did not take much activity for her to grow tired and hungry these days. She hadn't eaten since breakfast, wanting to leave as much room as possible to eat as much as she could of the banquet, as to not offend the High King and Queen.

Suddenly the huge oaken doors of the dining room swung open, causing Sarah to jump. A very well-dressed man walked in. Sarah knew him to be the High King and Queen's royal assistant.

"Your Majesty, King Jareth, Lady Sarah," He said with gusto, "it is my pleasure to present their Royal Highnesses, King Ahryias and Queen Nighra."

He stepped to the side and in strode Jareth's mother and father. Sarah and Jareth both rose to their feet and walked over to greet them.

"Father. Mother." Jareth said pleasantly as he shook his father's hand and kissed his mother on the cheek. "It is so wonderful to see you both again."

Ahryias smiled merrily, before throwing his arms around Jareth and proclaiming, "Jareth, my son. It has been too long. You really need to leave those repugnant goblins more often and visit us." He turned to Sarah and smiled with kindness in his icy blue mis-matched eyes. Sarah could see now where Jareth got his eyes from.

She saw his father's attention was immediately drawn to her baby bump. "Especially now there is a Prince or Princess on the way." Ahryias took Sarah's hand in his own and kissed the back of it. A custom that was traditional in the Underground. "Sarah, it is truly delightful to meet with you again."

"Thank you, your Majesty," Sarah replied shyly.

"Please, call me by my given name," Ahryias chuckled, "We are all family here. You remember my wife, Nighra." He said, putting his hand on the High Queen's back.

"Of course," Sarah replied, with a curtsey, just as Jareth had taught her to do. "I am honoured to be in your company again."

Nighra stared at Sarah, her face unmoving. She was indeed a beautiful woman. With clear, pale skin, ice-blonde long hair, and very high cheekbones. Jareth was very much the image of her. "Likewise." She said simply.

Right at that moment, Sarah's stomach could not take the hunger anymore and a huge rumble echoed through the room. Sarah felt her cheeks beginning to burn with embarrassment as Ahryias laughed again.

"And on that note, I think it's time for supper." He said, clapping his hands together jovially. "Please, take a seat at the banquet table."

* * *

The night had been going perfectly fine, to Sarah's surprise. The food was delicious, and the conversations between the four of them had been cheerful and pleasant enough. Though Sarah noted that Nighra did not speak very often, she was at least behaving civilly towards Sarah. It wasn't her words that made Sarah feel nervous, but rather that soul-penetrating, icy stare she seemed to exhibit.

Ahryias, on the other hand, could not be more amiable. He spoke to Sarah about many different topics; ranging from his own childhood, to becoming King, and his joy at finally becoming a father to Jareth. To Sarah's amusement he had happily shared stories of Jareth growing up, and the trouble he always seemed to get himself into as a youth.

"I think that's quite enough, father." Jareth said pleadingly. "Sarah does not need to hear any details about the time when I was five years old and the Fairy Queen turned me into a common toad for picking all the roses from her garden."

Sarah couldn't help but giggle. It was not very often she got to see Jareth's vulnerable side, and she had enjoyed hearing funny stories about him. It made him even more adorable to her.

"Wait until you have your own little one running around." Ahryias replied, his eyes flickering towards Sarah's stomach. "If he is anything like his father, I am afraid you will have your hands full, Sarah." He grinned at her. "How far along with child did you say you are?"

"Oh, about fifteen weeks." She replied. "So still a little while before they make an appearance. Though, I am sure a fae pregnancy would be much different?" She asked curiously.

"Actually, no." Nighra piped up, once again her cold gaze boring into Sarah. "Timewise, a fae pregnancy is not dissimilar to a human pregnancy. In general, time itself between the human and fae world is closely linked."

"Precisely," Ahryias replied. "Which means human and fae folk are more alike than one may think." He looked at his wife and Sarah could have sworn that she rolled her eyes. "We are absolutely thrilled about the news of the baby. Aren't we Nighra?"

"Of course." Nighra uttered, taking a sip of her wine. "Any news of a child is a joyous affair."

Sarah glanced over at Jareth and he smiled lovingly at her, which made Sarah feel a lot more relaxed. She had been so anxious at the start of this dinner about saying something stupid or feeling out of place as the only human among three fae folk. But it wasn't the case at all.

"If we may," Nighra said. "Ahryias and I would like to discuss the wedding."

Sarah looked at her in confusion. What wedding was she talking about? She and Jareth had only just got engaged little more than a week ago. There was still so much she had to do in the Aboveground first. There was Toby's eighteenth birthday, his graduation and she would also like to finish the school year first. Not to mention, she didn't vision herself walking down the aisle while heavily pregnant. She just wouldn't feel comfortable, and what woman didn't want to look and feel her best on her wedding day?

"We have an exceedingly small timeframe to work with," Nighra sniffed disapprovingly. "But we have managed to pull a few strings and were able to secure a date for the wedding in early spring."

Sarah's eyes widened in panic. Spring?! That was just a mere two months away. She couldn't just up and leave her whole life in a matter of two months. Sarah felt her heart starting to race at the thought of it, and her lips began to tremble. It must have shown how unnerved she looked, because Jareth reached across the table and put his hand into hers, trying to offer some solace.

"Mother," He murmured tryingly. "I have already spoken to you about this matter in private. However, I will make it clear again. Sarah and I shall marry after the child is born. There is no rush."

Nighra sighed, very clearly aggravated about their choice. "No rush?" She said coldly. "If you hadn't noticed, Sarah is only two seasons away from giving birth. There has never been a child born into the aristocracy, out of wedlock. It is an ancient, and noble tradition that has been in place for countless millennia. And I intend to maintain that standard."

Sarah saw Jareth's eyes uncharacteristically narrow in anger. "I am afraid," He said calmly, despite being so obviously enraged. "That that is not your decision to make. The timing is not practical for Sarah to leave the Aboveground until closer to the time of the birth. She has her young brother to think of."

"This is exactly why the Fae Council should never have deemed it legal for fae folk and humans to intermarry." Nighra uttered, her voice full of disgust. "Our worlds are too incomparable. Human responsibilities should never take priority over a fae's when the human willingly, of her own accord, chooses to marry or pro-create with a fae Royal."

"Nighra!" Ahryias hissed angrily at his wife. "Now is not the time to be sharing your views."

"Your backwards, prejudiced views." Jareth spat angrily.

"You will not embarrass this family, Jareth." Nighra replied firmly. "If you and Sarah don't marry before the child is born, imagine how shameful we will look in the eyes of the Fae Council."

"To hell with the Council!" Jareth roared.

Sarah felt her eyes starting to fill with tears. What started as a nice evening was turning very sourly indeed. She had never felt so embarrassed, and if Nighra didn't like her before… well, Sarah was sure that that woman really despised her now.

"Enough of this." She heard Ahryias say sternly. "You are upsetting the lady. Now she is crying."

Sarah could feel all three fae's eyes on her, but continued to look down at the table, unwilling to make contact. She wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole, so she didn't have to feel awkward anymore.

"Well, I am sorry dear, that you are upset." Nighra snapped. "But I'm afraid becoming Goblin Queen, and birthing the royal babe, is a much more important endeavour than ensuring the wellbeing of your human brother."

Sarah suddenly saw red, and slammed her fists down on the banquet table, in pure, unfiltered rage. She stood up quickly, balling her hands into fists and looked Jareth's mother right in the eyes, unable to control her anger. Who the hell did she think she was, talking about Toby as if he didn't matter?

"Don't _**EVER**_ tell me my brother isn't important." She yelled, feeling completely beside herself. "Jareth and I raised him from an infant. He is very much a part of our family as what the baby is. If you ever say such a thing again, so help me god, I'll make sure you never come in contact with the baby."

Nighra's eyes widened in horror as she looked between Sarah and Jareth, clearly not used to being put in her place.

"Jareth!" She sputtered through gritted teeth. "Are you going to let your fiancée speak to the High Queen this way? I suggest you control her."

"Actually, mother," Jareth replied coolly, walking around the dining table to join Sarah and taking hold of her hand. "I happen to agree with Sarah. Now I suggest you apologise to her immediately if you wish to have regular contact with your one and only grandchild."

"Now, let's everyone just calm down," Ahryias replied, holding his hands up, trying to diffuse the situation. "Jareth, I am sure your mother did not mean to come across the way she did. You don't need to threaten us with the refusal to see the baby. Let us not say things we don't mean."

Sarah took a few breaths and tried to regain her composure. Ahryias was right. She didn't want there to be any bad blood between Jareth and his parents on account of her. And she certainly didn't want to work herself into a frenzy. The last time she did that, the stress caused her to bleed, putting the baby at risk.

"Look, Nighra," She said calmly, even though the woman had her arms crossed over her chest and refused to even look at her. "I apologise for losing my temper. Of course you are welcome to see the baby any time. However, please can you keep an open mind about the decision Jareth and I have made about the wedding? Isn't the addition of a new baby, a brand-new innocent family member, more important than how some silly Council views you? Does it really matter if I am human? I am no different to you, Nighra. I breathe oxygen, I bleed red, and I hurt just the same as you do. Please… stop this hatred."

The High Queen didn't move an inch, continuing to stiffly stand with her arms folded tightly, and a furious looked etched onto her otherwise beautiful face. Sarah stared at her, telepathically willing her to see reason and stop this animosity.

"Nighra, listen to Sarah." Ahryias said gently, "Must we risk losing ties with our son, and our future grandchild, over an outdated and quite frankly, ridiculous belief? It only adds to an already cold world."

After a few minutes of inactivity onNighra's part, it was very clear to Sarah that she wasn't going to change her views. Sarah frowned, feeling extremely dejected that Jareth's mother could not respect their differences enough to put her own family first.

"Well, I think your silence speaks volumes, mother." Jareth said sadly. "Sarah, I think it is time we left. I am sorry how this evening ended, father. It was supposed to be a very special celebration. If mother ever comes to her senses and realises how hurtful she is being, feel free to visit us. The castle door will, of course, always be open to family."

Jareth put his arms around Sarah and in a cloud of glitter, they vanished.

* * *

Jareth's super-soft, super-comfortable, enormous bed wasn't even enough to ensure Sarah had a good night's sleep. It was the middle of the night, and she was constantly tossing and turning. Tonight's fiasco was playing over and over in her head and she was finding it very difficult to rest.

Turning onto her side, Sarah sighed miserably. Dinner with Jareth's parents had been nothing short of a travesty. She shouldn't have lost her temper with Nighra and used her unborn grandchild as a weapon against her, but she was being horrible about Toby. How could she say that Toby's needs didn't matter? It was outrageous, and Sarah wouldn't stand for it. She felt very glad as well, that Jareth felt the same way and had stood up for both her and Toby.

She felt Jareth slinking over the bed beside her and he put his arms protectively around her swollen belly.

"Are you alright, precious?" He whispered into her ear lovingly.

"No." she said honestly, "Jareth I don't feel good about what happened tonight. I just want your mother to like me. Now, I have no doubt that she absolutely loathes me after that complete shambles."

Jareth pulled Sarah into his arms so that her back was resting against his chest. His hand came up to stroke her cheek and he kissed her soft hair.

"Sarah," He said gently. "Unfortunately I cannot change my mother's ludicrous views. That is her problem, and her problem alone. You have done nothing wrong, my love. You stood up to her, which I am very impressed with. And you tried to reckon with her, but sense and compassion will not prevail. There is nothing more that you or I can do. Do not let her narrow-mindedness make you feel inadequate."

Sarah lay there for a few minutes contemplating what Jareth had said. It was true, she couldn't force Nighra to like her, or get rid of the hatred she felt for the human race. It was a shame, for Sarah would very much like to have a mother figure to talk to her in her life. Her own mother had walked out on her when she was very young, and try as she did to connect with the woman, when Sarah was a teenager, she made it obvious that she didn't want anything to do with her daughter.

A loud, unexpected knock on the bedchamber door made both of them jump. Jareth got out of the bed angrily and put on his robe. With a wave of his hand the room was lit up, and Sarah saw him stalk over to the door heatedly and yank it open. "What do you think you are doing disturbing us in the middle of the night?" He spat grumpily to the trembling goblin stood on the other side.

"Please, your Highness." The creature quaked. "Do not be mad at Skip. I is only doing what the little pixie said and delivering a very important message to you."

Jareth snatched the letter off the goblin and closed the door. Sarah sat up and watched as Jareth's eyes darted from side to side, taking in what the letter said, a sombre expression on his face. After a few moments of silence she asked;

"Jareth, is everything ok?"

He looked up at her with a look of apprehension. "It's from my mother."

Sarah's heart sank into her stomach. What could this woman possibly desire after tonight?

"What does she want?" Sarah asked bravely.

"She wants to meet with you in the morning." He answered solemnly.

"Alone"


	9. Chapter 9

The room suddenly became rather chilly and Sarah's body began to shiver, even though she was shrouded in Jareth's warm and cosy blankets. She gripped them tighter to her body, as though they would provide her with some sort of protection from the possibility of meeting Jareth's mother alone tomorrow.

Jareth emitted a long-suffering sigh, and pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. Something he only did, Sarah noted, when he was feeling immensely stressed. He looked over at her and then back at the letter again, as if he was assessing the situation at hand, and Sarah waited with bated breath for him to tell her what they were going to do.

Slowly ambling back over to the bed, Jareth climbed back into it without taking his eyes of Sarah. He cast the letter onto his bedside table and reached over and took her hand into hers, patting it reassuringly with his other hand.

"I think enough was already said tonight." He uttered, the sorrow in his voice very plain to hear, and it broke Sarah's heart a little. This was the last thing in the world she wanted; for a family to break up, especially when a new baby was going to be part of it.

"Jareth, I think I should meet her." Sarah said, surprising even herself.

Jareth raised his eyebrows at her, obviously not expecting her to agree to this summon. "Why, in the name of the Underground, would you even contemplate this?" He asked, looking at her as if she had just sprouted an extra head. "She was so vile towards you."

"Yes." Sarah nodded in agreement. "As was I towards her. Sometimes in the heat of the moment people say things they don't necessarily mean. I have calmed down now and I'm sure she has too. I feel we can discuss this like adults."

"Sarah," He whispered tiredly, his voice full of emotion. "I admire your resolve and determination. It's one of the reasons I fell in love with you. But you can't fix this, sweetheart." He ran a hand through his wild blond hair. "Nor is it your responsibility to do so. Now, I love my mother, but I have my own family to protect. My allegiance will always be to you and our child. That is the way things are done here. And my mother knows that."

"I understand that, Jareth." Sarah replied. "I am not trying to fix this mess. I do not expect your mother to suddenly see the error of her ways and beg for my forgiveness. Nor do I expect her to understand my plight and have a change of heart. I am under no illusions about that. But a family breaking up is truly a crying shame. Perhaps your mother feels the same way. I think I should hear what she has to say to me."

Silence filled the air for a few minutes and Sarah could see that Jareth was thinking this over in his head. It was fair to say that she wasn't actively looking forward to meeting Nighra after tonight. Hell, she was filled with fear and dread at the thought of being within the same breathing space as the woman. However, she hoped Jareth would allow her to do this. There must be a reason why Nighra sent the letter to Jareth so urgently. She wanted to know why the High Queen was so keen to meet with her.

"You don't know what my mother is capable of." Jareth finally said, worry very obviously engraved on his face. "She is an exceptionally proud woman, instilled with radical, extremist fae values. Sarah, you must see why I am so concerned about this."

"Your mother won't harm me, Jareth." Sarah said reassuringly.

"Well, how can you be sure of it?" He answered.

Sarah took his hand in hers and placed it onto her warm, soft pregnant belly. "Because of this." She said gently, looking deeply into his eyes. "Amongst all the screeching and bellowing tonight, I saw two heartbroken parents, very afraid of losing their grandchild. And not only that, but their son." She reached up and lovingly caressed his left cheekbone as his eyes connected with hers. "But it doesn't have to be this way."

Jareth's facial expression softened at her words and he sighed faintly. He looked away in contemplation as he considered what Sarah had said.

"Very well." He said tenderly after a few moments, turning back to her. "You may go. But I am to go there with you. If my mother wishes to speak to you privately then she can do so in another room. I will not allow you to visit their castle unaccompanied, precious. I wish to be close by should anything happen."

Sarah smiled and leaned in to kiss him gently on the lips. "We have a deal." She said, and he smiled back at her. "Now, let's try and get some sleep. We have an interesting day ahead of us tomorrow."

* * *

Toby trembled as he pulled his woolly hat down further, so it covered his frostbitten ears. The park was absolutely freezing this morning, and his nerves about meeting with Scarlett were not helping with the whole body shivering thing.

He had preferred to be in his own home as to stay in the warmth, but Scarlett insisted they met somewhere mutual. Toby agreed to meet at the park as to not make her feel uncomfortable. Though they weren't together anymore, he still very much cared about her. He didn't want to put pressure on her in any way. It was a wonder she even agreed to meet him in the first place.

This was a good sign.

Maybe.

No, it definitely was.

Wasn't it?

His stomach did backflips as his nerves began to fill with adrenaline and rush round his body like a goddamn Slip 'N' Slide. What was he even going to say to her? Sarah had told him to just speak from the heart. But right now his heart was uttering a million questions at once and he couldn't make head nor tail of it.

What if she got angry at him for discussing such a sensitive topic? What if she didn't want Toby to know that she had magical powers? Hell, what if she even used them against him? Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

"Toby?" Said an angelic voice behind him, that made Toby jump right out of his skin with fright.

He spun around in a panicked daze, and was met with beautiful, twinkling, indigo eyes, that unmistakably belonged to Scarlett. Toby took a deep breath, trying to compose himself, and drank in the sight of her. She was wearing a warm, white coat that had faux fur round the hood, which was pulled up over her head to protect her from the cold. Her fiery red locks flowed out from her hood and hung all the way down to her elbows. Her little freckly nose and cheeks were tainted slightly red where the frost had been nipping at them. She looked so utterly adorable. Man, Toby missed her so much.

"I'm sorry." Scarlett said softly, shoving her gloved hands into her coat pockets. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"That's ok." Toby said with a nervous laugh. "So, how have you been?"

Scarlett had initially been looking at him, but broke eye contact as she answered his question. "Me? Oh. I'm... I mean... I've been fine." She stuttered, clearly nervous as well. "How have you been?"

_Oh, you know, I've had my heart ripped out and trampled on by the girl I am in love with, but I'm perfectly peachy_, he thought bitterly to himself.

"I'm fine." He lied.

Scarlett nodded at him; her gaze once again cast somewhere into the distance. An air of silence surrounded them, as the two teenagers both wracked their brains as to what to say to each other. God, this was awkward. But it was his one chance to explain things to Scarlett, and he wasn't going to blow it.

"You said you had something important to talk to me about." Scarlett uttered, breaking the uneasy hush between them.

"Um, yeah." Toby replied fretfully. "Look, come here." He said, as he gently took hold of her arm and guided her towards a bench so they could sit down.

Thankfully the park was quiet this morning and nobody was around. It would grant them some much needed privacy. Scarlett sat down beside him on the park bench, Toby noticed, leaving some distance between them. His heart began to beat at a breakneck pace, and his lips suddenly grew very dry, anxiety setting in.

"Scarlett… I don't exactly know how to say what I need to say to you."

"Why don't you just start from the beginning?" She replied kindly.

Where exactly was the beginning, Toby thought to himself? Was it the part about being co-raised from the age of three, by the King of the Goblins? Was it the fact that his sister was pregnant with The Goblin King's baby, and would soon be leaving to live in the Underground? Or perhaps it was that the Goblin King had informed Toby that Scarlett was a magical freaking being? It all sounded so outrageously ridiculous, and Toby half-regretted inviting Scarlett to meet with him. He sighed and looked down at the ground, wondering how on earth he was going to explain this saga.

"What's wrong?" Scarlett asked, and Toby looked up at her to see a worried expression on her face. "Has something happened to Sarah?"

"Yes, well, sort of." He replied. "But she's not hurt." He quickly added, as Scarlett moved closer to him, obviously imagining that something awful had happened to his sister.

Relief washed over her face and she looked him in the eye this time. "Then what do you want to tell me?" She asked with a firmer tone. "Please, just say it. You're scaring me now."

"Alright." Toby said, not wanting her to be frightened. "Look, Scarlett, I haven't been entirely honest with you. I apologise for that, but there is a reason why I couldn't go to your tennis match."

"Oh, and what was that?" She replied in a slightly annoyed tone.

"I was at a scan." Toby said softly, and he immediately saw the anger on Scarlett's face being replaced, once again by concern.

"A scan?!" She exclaimed. "For what? Oh my god, are you unwell?"

"No!" He cried, placing his hand on hers, out of habit, to reassure her. To Toby's surprise she didn't pull her own hand away, and she actually stayed perfectly still, staring at him, as she waited for answers. "I wasn't the one having the scan. Sarah was. It was an… antenatal scan."

Scarlett's eyes grew wide and a shocked look came over her face. Clearly, she was not expecting to be told this news. "Wait… are you telling me Sarah's pregnant?" She replied incredulously.

Toby nodded solemnly, his heart still thudding. "Yes." He said. "You see, a week before the scan Sarah had been bleeding, and I had to take her to the hospital to get checked out. I couldn't attend your tennis match because she wanted me to go to the scan to make sure that the baby was ok."

A strange feeling overtook Toby's senses and his heart suddenly felt lighter. It was so good to finally get that off his chest and tell Scarlett the truth. He had no idea if she would accept it or not, or how she would even react. But he had finally confessed to her, and that was all he could do. The rest was up to her.

"Oh, Toby," She said sympathetically, and put her arm around his shoulders. "I'm so sorry. That would explain why Sarah hasn't been at school either." She said, as he nodded. "Why the heck didn't you just tell me that?"

"Well." Toby replied, feeling nervous again. "You see, there's more to it."

"I didn't even know Sarah was seeing anyone." Scarlett said, more to herself than to Toby. "Are they still together?"

"Very much so." Toby replied to her. "In fact, once I graduate, they are moving to his neck of the woods to raise the baby."

Scarlett leaned back onto the bench and looked ahead of her, taking in everything she had been told. The sweet sound of the birds singing in the trees around them filled the air, and a gust of wind soared over them, making Scarlet's curls whip furiously about in all directions. Her cheeks were painted even more red now, and an awe-struck expression enveloped her face.

"I can't believe this." She said after a few minutes of silence. "Who is the guy? Would I know him?"

Toby's heart started to pick up pace again. Now was the time to tell her the rest of the truth. "I would imagine so." He replied and turned to face her head-on.

"Who is he then?" She asked, her voice dripping with suspense.

Taking a deep breath, Toby replied:

"Jareth, the Goblin King."

Scarlett's eyes expanded more that Toby had ever seen in his life. Her chest began to rise and fall rapidly as her breathing became accelerated.

"Wha… what?" She muttered disbelievingly.

"Jareth, the Goblin King." Toby repeated. "He and Sarah have looked after me since I was young. Now they're expecting their own little one. Scarlett, I know that magic exists. I know all about the fae race and the Underground."

Scarlett didn't say a word as she listened to what Toby was saying. She was incredibly still, almost like a statue.

"I also know that you're a magical being, too." He said, taking her hands into his own. "Jareth told me he could sense your powers. Now we can both be totally honest with each other, Princess." He smiled at her, feeling like a giant weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He was sure Scarlett would feel relieved too, being able to talk about this with someone else. Toby didn't suppose it was a common occurrence, finding a human who knew about and accepted magic.

"What's the matter?" He asked, perplexed. All the colour seemed to drain from Scarlett's face as she stared back at Toby. "Scarlett, I'm sorry I couldn't tell you the truth before, but now I know you have magic, we can talk about this, and anything else you want. Maybe we could even work things out, now that we have nothing dividing us."

Scarlett snatched her hands out of Toby's hands and stood up from the bench.

"I have to go." She said robotically.

Toby frowned and jumped up to join her. Go? Why would she want to leave at a time like this? Light had just been shed on their relationship, this was big news. Toby couldn't understand why she was acting like it was a bad thing.

"Please, don't go." He pleaded with her, putting his hand on her shoulder. "We have so much to talk about. I have so many questions, as I'm sure you do too. We can work through them. Please, Princess, don't leave."

Scarlett shook her head frantically, causing Toby's heart to break all over again.

"I'm sorry." She choked, her eyes filling with tears. "I have to go." And she hastily took off across the park, leaving Toby alone, feeling confused, rejected and like he had lost her a second time.

"Well, I guess I know for sure where I stand."

Tears formed in Toby's eyes as he started to walk back home, with a very heavy heart indeed.

* * *

Aww, poor Toby! And also, how brave is Sarah making the decision to meet with Jareth's mother? I can't wait to write the next chapter! Sorry this chapter was so short, I sort of needed to write it to pave the way for the next one!

Also, I just want to give a big thank you to those of you who leave me lovely reviews. It means so much to me and keeps me wanting to write more and more. A special thanks to Sephiria Arks who reviews almost every chapter with so much passion. Thank you!


	10. Chapter 10

Sarah could not remember a time when she felt more nervous. Her stomach swirled around like a spinning top toy, half with anxiousness, half with morning sickness. Even her first day of teaching a class full of rowdy sixteen-year olds about the birds and the bees felt like a walk in the park compared to today. At least she knew how to handle sixteen-year-olds. Jareth's mother? Not so much.

As if reading her mind, Jareth lovingly put his arm around her back and held her close while they waited for the High Queen to meet with them.

"I don't know about this, Sarah." He whispered into her ear. "I think I should remain here with you at all times. I'm not sure I trust my mother to be alone with you. I know things about her that would make your hair stand on end."

Sarah nuzzled her face in the crook of Jareth's neck, enjoying the comfort. She knew Jareth felt as apprehensive as she did, but she wanted to straighten things out between her and Nighra before the baby was born.

"Jareth, give the scaremongering a rest before it reports you to a Union." She said with a soft sigh. "My nerves are on edge enough."

Jareth kissed the top of her head. "Then let's return to the castle. Better yet, let's return home to Toby, he is surely expecting us to be back by now. He, at least doesn't wish certain death onto you."

Sarah couldn't help but smile at Jareth's petulance. For the most part he was a mature, rational man. However, he could be as sullen as his mother at times when he didn't get his own way. Unlike his mother though, Sarah knew it was coming from a place of concern for her and their unborn child.

She felt Jareth's hand coming up to caress her cheek and he gazed intently into her eyes.

"Forgive me, precious." He uttered gently; his eyes glossed over with worry. "I only wish nothing to happen to you."

"What would happen to her?" An icy voice called out.

Sarah and Jareth caught off guard, both turned towards the black marble staircase to be met with the High Queen, Nighra. The train of her mint green dress swirled around behind her as she gracefully made her way down towards them. A neutral expression was painted on her face and she didn't seem to be staring at anyone in particular.

"Mother." Jareth said most unenthusiastically as she approached them. She noticed that Jareth did not greet her by kissing her on the cheek, as he had done so last night. Of course, a lot had happened since then.

"Thank you for responding to my summon." She replied amicably, making eye contact with each of them. She at least seemed to be in a much friendlier mood today.

"Let's just get to the point. Why did you wish to see us?" Jareth asked, his voice dripping with suspicion.

"Actually, I wished to see Sarah. Not you, my son." Nighra replied, the faintest hint of a smirk on her lips.

"Whatever you have to say to Sarah, you can say in my presence." Sarah felt Jareth grab her hand protectively and the tension in the room began to slowly rise.

"You speak as though I harbour ill-intent towards Sarah." Nighra's voice became as cold as her eyes, clearly not impressed that Jareth was challenging her authority.

"Well, I don't know where in the Underground you could acquire that idea from, mother." Jareth spat sarcastically. "If you wish to speak to Sarah, you can start by affording her the apology you most definitely owe her for your crassness last night."

Sarah mentally rolled her eyes and sighed. She was so sick of all this arguing. Why couldn't Jareth just give his mother a chance?

"Jareth, it's ok." She said quietly, trying to diffuse the friction between them. His eyes softened when they met with her own. "It is my decision whether to act on your mother's request or not. And I accept. I am happy to speak with her alone."

Jareth's eyes cast back towards Nighra, his expression growing fierce again. "Where is father?" He snapped angrily.

"In his office." Nighra answered back calmly. "Why don't you join him? I had the palace staff arrange afternoon tea in the gardens for Sarah and me to enjoy."

"I am afraid you wasted your efforts there." Jareth sneered. "Sarah's morning sickness won't allow her to eat much. Lest you wish the whole thing to come back up tenfold."

Sarah could feel her face heating up with embarrassment. She made a mental note to give Jareth a stern ear bashing for that remark later. She timidly gazed up at Nighra and could see the corners of her mouth twitch slightly.

"No matter." Nighra replied. "The weather is unusually glorious on this winter morning. I am sure Sarah would love a tour of the palace gardens, wouldn't you dear?" Her gaze averted to Sarah and she nodded. "It's settled then." Nighra said, gesturing Sarah to follow her.

"Fine." Jareth called after them as Nighra escorted Sarah to the gardens. "But I am warning you mother. Sarah had better return back to me in one hour. Safe and well. Not one single hair on her head out of place."

Sarah stifled a laugh as the High Queen rolled her eyes at her son and shooed him away with her hand.

* * *

The palace gardens had to be one of the most beautiful places Sarah had ever seen in her life. There were so many different types of flowers. Some she recognised, but most of them were new to her eyes, and they were absolutely gorgeous.

She felt like a child in a teddy bear shop as she took in the breath-taking scenery. Nighra had been right; the day had a winter chill, making the grass crunch below their feet as they promenaded round the gardens. But the sun was shining brightly, casting a lovely glow over the greenery, making them a stunning sight.

"It's quite enchanting, isn't it?" The High Queen asked her, catching the awe-struck look on Sarah's face. "Foliage in the Underground grows quite differently. Some of these flowers are thousands of years old. You see those yellow flowers over there?"

Sarah looked ahead, to where Nighra was pointing to, and saw a patch of land that was covered in bright golden plants that looked a little like sunflowers, only the petals were much bigger than the average sunflower.

"I had them planted there when I found out I was expecting Jareth." Nighra said wistfully, an out of character smile forming on her lips. Sarah smiled too; it was nice to see the woman's softer side once in a while. "You know, Sarah, a mother never ceases to stop worrying about her child. No matter how old they may be." She glanced at Sarah's belly, her facial expressions softer than usual. "Of course, you will find that out for yourself one day."

"Nighra, may I ask you a question?" Sarah piped up, feeling rather brave.

"You may." Nighra nodded, as she and Sarah walked further round the gardens.

"Jareth mentioned to me that pregnancy isn't a common occurrence in the Underground."

"Yes, that is correct." Nighra said factually. "We fae are blessed with ever-lasting life. But alas, there is a price to pay. And that price is infertility. It is an understatement to say that I am extremely fortunate to have had Jareth."

After a moment of silence, as the two women collected their thoughts, Nighra spoke:

"What was your question, dear?"

Sarah blinked several times, bringing herself out of her trance. "If I may." She started, unsure if this question was appropriate or not, but her curiosity got the better of her, "How long… I mean… How much time had passed before you fell pregnant?"

Nighra looked at Sarah, her eyes very clearly holding sorrow. "Four-hundred years."

Sarah could not stop herself from gasping in shock. Four-hundred years? That was quite a long wait to have a child. And that was actually considered good going in the Underground? No wonder she had been so protective over Jareth. However, as much sympathy Sarah had for her, that did not excuse her ignorant hatred of the human race.

"Why didn't you want him to be here with us?" Sarah asked.

"My son is plainly very much in love with you." Nighra answered. "He cherishes the ground you walk on. A trait he inherits from his father. Unfortunately, his good-natured qualities are what causes him to shield you from the truth."

Sarah nodded. She had to agree with Nighra on this one. Jareth was very caring and protective. Most of the time she loved those things about him. But sometimes she found it a tad annoying, unable to form her own opinion and thoughts and to carry out her own wishes.

"And what is the truth, Nighra?" She replied intensely. "Why do you feel so much loathing towards humans? It is just us here, educate me."

"If you are looking for an apology, Sarah, I am afraid you will leave here very disappointed." Nighra answered, her usual stone-cold, ice queen persona coming to the surface. "Humans, in no way, can compare to the accomplished fae race. This is just a biological fact; you need not take it so personally."

"Fine." Sarah hissed, starting to feel resentment bubbling inside her. "I understand that. But what I don't understand is if you find humans so inferior, why do insist on Jareth and I marrying? I would have thought, given your feelings, you would want the opposite."

A small, humourless laugh escaped from Nighra's lips. "That is a separate issue entirely. My son has chosen his queen. A human queen. I have accepted that." She said coolly. "But I cannot accept a royal babe being born to unwed parents. It would bring great shame to the entire Kingdoms within the Underground. The Fae Council have not enforced the law, but they won't exactly be thrilled about it either."

Sarah sighed sadly and the former anger she felt was replaced with melancholy. Jareth was right; his mother was far too set in her ways and she would never change her extremist views. Their baby would be brought into a world of negativity and intolerance, even from their own grandmother. What a way to welcome a new life into the family. She didn't want that for her baby.

"Don't feel so miserable, dear." Nighra said softly. "I told you, it is nothing against you specifically. And besides, I already love the child you carry, very dearly. There is no disputing that. Which is why I invited you here, to give you this."

Sarah looked up and saw Nighra's hand was outstretched. She was holding what looked to be a gold-banded ring, with a piece of crystal set right in the centre of it. Sarah frowned in confusion. Nighra had just offloaded onto her how much she despised humans, and not only that, but how much shame Sarah was bringing to the royal family. Why on earth would she gift her with a ring?

"I can see you are confused about this." She grinned. "Show it to Jareth. He will know what it is." She handed the ring to Sarah, but quickly took it away again. "Wait. I forgot to do this." She said, waving her other hand over the ring. The crystal in the centre started to glow a lilac colour and then faded back to normal after a few moments.

"There. Now you can take it." Nighra said, handing the ring once more back to Sarah. "I'll return you back to Jareth now. Before he sends out a search party."

* * *

Jareth smiled sadly at Sarah as he tried to comfort her. They were back in his bedchamber getting ready to go home to Toby, while Sarah told him of the things his mother shared with her.

"I'm sorry, precious." He said sympathetically, taking her into his arms. "I did try to warn you about my mother's ridiculous concepts. Please don't take any heat of them, darling." He kissed her sweetly on the lips.

"You were right." She groaned. "I can't make her like me. I will just have to get over that. But she does love this baby, that's for sure." Jareth rubbed his hand over her bump reassuringly and Sarah melted at his touch. "Oh!" She said, remembering the ring that Nighra had given her. "And she told me to show you this."

Sarah took the ring out of her pocket and passed it to Jareth. His eyes grew wide and Sarah noted he looked surprised. "My mother gave you this?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes." Sarah replied. "What is it? And why are you so amazed that she gave it to me?"

"This." Jareth said holding the ring up in front of her. "Is a crystal talisman. The former owner usually places a blessing spell on it and gives it to someone to provide them with prosperity and protection. They are extremely rare."

So that's what Nighra had done to the ring before she gave it to Sarah. She had to admit, she felt rather honoured that Nighra had done such a thing, even after all the hard feelings between them.

"Well it would appear that the cantankerous militant does have a heart after all." Jareth said amusingly, placing the ring on Sarah's third finger of her right hand. "And it will also bring good fortune to the baby, as well."

"Perhaps there's hope yet." Sarah smiled at him, feeling a lot better about the situation. "Let's get home to Toby now. God knows what he's been up to."

* * *

Far, far away, in the depths of the Underground, The High Queen watched her son and his beloved Sarah eagerly through a crystal. A sinister smile creeped on her face once she saw that the ring had been placed on the human's finger. All she had to do now was watch and wait. And be there for her son in the aftermath of what was to come.


	11. Chapter 11

Toby sighed loudly and slammed the front door shut. His angry outburst caused the walls the shake in response, and consequentially send vibrations rumbling down the hallway. This was a disaster. He had finally been able to be completely honest with Scarlett. Told her everything about Jareth raising him, and Sarah being pregnant with Jareth's child. He bore his heart and soul to her and what did she do? She ran away. Without a single acknowledgement of his revelation, she took off across the park and left him standing there, very confused and enormously heartbroken.

_Why do girls have to be so complicated_, he thought exasperatingly to himself as he wiped the unfallen tears out of his eyes.

"Keep the door on its hinges please, kiddo."

Toby jumped as he looked up and saw Sarah staring at him from the foot of the stairs. She smiled at him brightly for a split second before clocking his teary eyes, and her expression quickly turned to that of sympathy.

"You spoke to Scarlett, didn't you?" She uttered sadly.

Toby sniffed and cleared his throat a few times, feeling slightly embarrassed and trying to steady his shaky voice. "Yeah, I talked to her." He said, turning away from Sarah to take off his coat and hat. He didn't want his sister to see him upset. "How'd you guess?"

"I'm psychic." She joked softly as she strode down the hallway towards him. "Either that, or the door slamming, the red eyes and you trying to avoid me gave it away."

Toby smiled sadly to her. If there's one thing he had learned over the years, it was that Sarah could read him like a book. She understood him so well, he couldn't hide much from her for very long.

"I take it the meet-up didn't go as planned?" She asked him curiously.

Toby sighed and shook his head, staring at the ground. "Well, it wasn't exactly the delightful, heart-warming reunion I hoped it would be." He answered bitterly. "It was an absolute shambles! I did everything Jareth told me to do. I told her the truth about it all. And she just left me. Again. You know, maybe it's just me. Maybe _I'm_ the problem and she just doesn't like me anymore."

To his surprise Sarah smirked loudly. Toby gazed shockingly towards her, wondering why she felt it was appropriate to be laughing at a time like this.

"I don't believe that drivel for one second, Toby." She smiled at him. "And neither do you. Come on, doesn't like you anymore? I think somebody is having a little pity party, kiddo."

Toby tried to grin but couldn't hide his despondency. He knew Sarah was just trying to bolster his confidence and cheer him up like she always did. She was a good sister. But as heartfelt as her intentions were, the bottom line was that he did his best to get Scarlett back and ultimately, he had failed. There was nothing in this world that could make him feel less of a disappointment.

"Thanks for trying, Sarah." He grumbled gloomily, heading towards the stairs. "But it's over. I messed up." Toby turned towards her as he stopped at the bottom of the stairs. "I'm giving up on Scarlett. She's obviously given up on me."

The last thing he saw before heading upstairs to his room was the sorrow in Sarah's eyes.

* * *

"I don't know, man." Toby shifted uncomfortably as he sat on his bed, talking to one of his best friends on the phone.

"Why not, dude?" Mattie whined to him, in a spoilt-childlike fashion. "Come on, Toby. Don't you like Becca?"

Toby groaned and rolled his eyes. Mattie was still trying to hook him up with his cousin after she and Toby had met at the New Year's Eve party, he threw a few days ago. "As a matter of fact, I think she's a very nice girl. But-"

"So there you go, then." Mattie answered back, not letting Toby finish his sentence. "You like her, and she likes you. What more else is there to be unsure of?"

"Well, if you'd stop interrupting me." Toby snapped, slightly irritated. "You'd know that I don't like Becca in that way. Yeah, she's pretty cool, I'll give her that. I mean she's into space and science. Plus she's into the same video games as me. We both love time travel theories and quantum physics."

Mattie sighed down the phone. "Yeah, you're not really helping your whole 'I don't like her in that way' argument." He said, and Toby just knew that he was rolling his eyes. "You two geeks are made for each other."

"Mattie, you're just not getting it." Toby exhaled, feeling thoroughly fed-up now. "I don't want to date anyone else right now. Becca is a lovely girl, but the chemistry isn't there between us. And anyway, I don't think she sees me as boyfriend material. When I dropped her home after the party, it was clear she just wanted someone to talk to and hang out with."

Toby was forced to hold the phone away from his ear as Mattie practically screeched at him. "_**WHAT?!**_ You took her home after the party? Why wasn't I told about this? Wait until I tell Jamal!"

"Oh for God's sake." Toby moaned, regretting that he said anything at all. "You weren't told about it because _**NOTHING HAPPENED**_." Toby screeched back at him. "Look, she was off-her-face drunk and she was attempting to drive home. I couldn't let her do that. So I offered to drive her home instead. When we got there, I walked her into her house, and we had a chat. Then I left. That's all there is to it, so don't get too excited."

"You took a drunk girl home, and the only thing you did was have a chat with her?" Mattie asked as if he couldn't believe such a thing would happen.

"Yes." Toby hissed at him. "Because I'm not a jerk who takes advantage of people. And, I don't know how many more times I must tell you; _we don't like each other in that way!_"

There was silence on the line for a few moments. Toby loved his friend dearly, but Mattie was starting to get on his nerves now. He wished he would just hang up the phone.

"Ok, dude, I get the point." Mattie said after a few moments and Toby felt relief surge through him. "But, look. Why don't you keep an open mind about Becca?"

Toby's attention was suddenly taken away from Mattie as he heard a loud knock on his bedroom door.

"Toby, may I come in?" He heard Jareth's voice call on the other side.

"Sure, come on in." Toby called back to him, exceedingly grateful that he had an excuse to get rid of Mattie and his blathering. "I gotta go, man. I'll talk to you later."

"Ok, but promise me you'll think about what I said? Just let me give Becca your number. Just as friends." Mattie said.

"Fine, whatever." Toby muttered as he hung up the phone and turned to face Jareth.

For a few moments, Jareth stood in front of Toby, his face engulfed by an expression of worry and unhappiness. The man looked sad.

"Jareth," Toby said, slightly perplexed. "Is there a reason why you're standing in total silence, looking at me like I may die at any given second?"

Jareth smiled softly and strode over towards Toby, sitting beside him on the bed. "Forgive me, my dear boy." He said gently. "I am just concerned for you. Sarah told me about what happened with Scarlett."

_Oh, great_. Toby thought to himself. _This is just what I want to talk about._

"Right." Toby replied as calmly as he could. "Do you mind if we don't talk about this right now? I don't wish to be rude, but I kind of just want to be alone."

Jareth nodded his head solemnly. "Of course." He said. "I'll give you your solitude. I can see your plan of sitting alone in your room, upset and crying, is much better than conversing with someone older and wiser, who may be able to guide you."

Toby gazed hopelessly at Jareth and sighed, admitting defeat. "Ok, fine." He muttered redundantly. Jareth could see right through his act, so he might as well just accept his help. "Scarlett met with me and I explained everything to her. I told her about you, Sarah, the baby, and how you knew that she's a supernatural being."

"And how did she react?" Jareth asked him.

Toby looked at the patterned carpet on his bedroom floor, his confidence feeling too low to meet Jareth's eyes. "Well, she promptly jumped to her feet, said she had to go and raced right out of the park without another word." He replied despairingly. "So much for honesty is the best policy."

"And so it is." Jareth said, putting a reassuring hand on Toby's shoulder. Toby looked at him and saw he had a kind smile on his face. "Do you know what I think?"

He shook his head in confusion. "No, what?" He asked.

Jareth's eyes lit up with compassion as he spoke softly. "I think that the young lady _is_ happy you told her about everything that has been going on. In fact, I think she's elated that she has someone who she can share her life with, her _whole_ life, and not have to pretend to be something she isn't anymore."

Toby's eyebrows knitted together in uncertainty at his words. "But, Jareth." He said sulkily. "Didn't you hear what I just said? Scarlett bolted. She just took off like a bat out of hell. It doesn't exactly come across that she was happy."

"I heard you." Jareth replied with a titter. "Did you ever consider that having a magical secret found out by a human, perhaps might be a little bit alarming for a magical being? My guess is that Scarlett is in deep shock and she probably just needs a bit of time to come to terms with it."

Taking this in, a wave of understanding hit Toby. Jareth was making total sense. He never thought about it from Scarlett's side. Of course it was a surprise for her. She probably had to keep this a secret her whole life and Toby just sprung it on her that he knew she had magic.

"I guess I didn't think about it like that." He said, feeling very foolish.

"Give her time, Toby." Jareth replied kind-heartedly. "I'm sure she will come round."

A knock at the door made both of them break out of their thoughts. "Come in." Toby shouted as Sarah stuck her head round the door.

"Sorry to interrupt," She said, smiling. "But there's somebody here to see you."

"Is it Mattie?" Toby grumbled crossly. "Because if it is, I swear to God I'm going to-"

"It's not Mattie!" Sarah interjected. "It's Scarlett. She wants to see you in the living…"

* * *

Sarah barely had time to finish her sentence before Toby was rushing down the stairs and into the living room. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her stranding there, her back facing him, as she nervously played with a lock of her red hair. Toby took in the sight of her. He never thought he'd see her again, especially not in his house.

After a moment, Scarlett turned around and slightly jumped when she saw Toby was standing behind her. The two of them stared into each other's eyes, both collecting their thoughts.

"Hi." She said timidly, breaking the silence.

"Hi." Toby repeated back, feeling as equally shy.

"I think we need to talk. Again." She said calmly.

Toby nodded, not really knowing what to talk about. He had already said everything he needed to say to her, when they met this morning. "Why don't we start by sitting down." He choked, as Scarlett nodded, and the both made their way over to the sofa.

"Listen, Toby." She said shakily. "I'm sorry for taking off on you this morning. That stuff you told me- I was just in complete shock over it. I just had to get my head around the fact that you know about magic."

She looked at him in that cute way that made his heart swell with love. She was still as adorable as ever, with her little nose crinkling up when she was surprised. Scarlett glanced over at Toby and her face lost expression. "What?" She whispered. "Why are you smiling at me?"

Toby blinked a few times and shook his head. "Oh, no reason." He said gently, a smile still plastered on his face. "You just look so cute."

Scarlett, clearly caught unawares, looked away and blushed furiously, so that her cheeks were almost the same colour as her hair. "You're not making this any easier." She uttered.

"Well, neither are you when you look so adorable." Toby replied. And this time Scarlett couldn't hold back a smile and a giggle. Toby reached across the sofa and put his hand on top of Scarlett's. "I miss you." He said sadly as he looked into her indigo eyes.

"I… I miss you too." She replied shyly. "Look, before this goes any further, I need to be honest with you, as you were with me."

Toby nodded and listened carefully to her, not wanting to miss a single word. He was about to learn what kind of magical being Scarlett was.

"Toby…" She started, taking his hands into his and looking at him head on. "The truth is… I am half elf."

Toby stared at her in disbelief for a few moments. Half elf? Did Scarlett really just say that?

"Toby, say something." She said, her voiced paved with worry. "Say something, _anything_."

"Half elf?" He said "Scarlett, forgive my ignorance as I'm not an elf expert or anything. But aren't they like two feet tall, with pointy ears, and help Santa run his workshop in the North Pole?"

Scarlett burst into fits of laughter. "You'd be forgiven for thinking that." She smiled, as she eventually composed herself. "Those things you mentioned are stereotypes that humans came up with, real elves are nothing like that. Except for the pointy ears, that much is true."

She swept her hair back with her hand, exposing her ears. Toby leaned forward expecting to see something out of the ordinary, but was thoroughly disappointed to see that Scarlett's ears were perfectly round and normal looking.

"They look like regular old human ears to me." He said flatly.

"That's because I conceal them with a charm." She answered. With a wave of her hand, right in front of Toby's very own eyes, Scarlett's ears changed their form. The roundness was gone and sure enough, Toby saw for himself that her ears did indeed look like typical, pointy elf ears. They looked a lot like Jareth's, only the tops of them were longer and pointed back even more.

"Woah!" Toby exclaimed in awe, jumping back. "Did you just- Did you just do magic? Oh, man, that was _so cool_!"

Scarlett laughed and a huge, comforting smile broke out on her face. Toby could see all the worry, pain and anxiousness she had been harbouring for a long time, was washed out of her as pure relief filled her eyes. It brought him so much joy to see her happy.

"So, you're really ok with this?" She asked him curiously.

"Of course I'm ok with it." He replied thoughtfully. "Scarlett, I love you. I have always loved you. It doesn't matter what your background is. In fact, I think it's freakin' amazing that you're half elf."

Scarlett smiled at him. "I have to ask; Is your sister _really_ pregnant with the Goblin King's baby?" She asked intriguingly.

"Yeah!" Toby said excitedly. Being able to talk to her about these things was awesome. "She really is. They were just in the Underground last night, meeting with the High King and Queen."

"Wow." Scarlett replied. "You know, I had heard that the King was expecting a child with a human woman called Sarah, who had successfully run his Labyrinth. But never in my wildest dreams did I expect her to be _your_ Sarah!"

Toby chuckled at the look of astonishment on her face. "Yeah, it's pretty crazy." He said, pushing his blond hair out of his eyes. "We're a family. When my parents died, Sarah and Jareth raised me as if I was their own. I'm thrilled for them that they are going to be parents. Even if it does mean that Sarah must leave the human world. I can't think of two people more deserving of being happy."

"This is just amazing, Toby." Scarlett gushed, putting her hands into his, and looking at him lovingly. "Do you think… maybe we could try again?"

In response, Toby leaned forward and planted his lips onto Scarlett's. They were so soft and warm, and he was overjoyed to be finally kissing them again. Just ten minutes earlier he thought that she never wanted to see him again, and here she was, asking if they could give their relationship another shot.

Jareth had been right; love really was the most powerful thing in existence.


	12. Chapter 12

Sarah noticed that Jareth kept glancing over at her with an amused look in his eyes every two minutes. They were in his castle library, and what a magnificent library it was. A huge room decorated in gold and crimson. The walls were adorned with rich oaken bookshelves, stretching right the way round the room, each of them housing what Sarah imagined about a thousand books. There was a beautiful fireplace with a roaring fire, which Sarah and Jareth were currently sitting in front of, each lost in their books. It was indeed stunning, and Sarah being an avid bookworm was most excited about spending many hours in it when she became Goblin Queen.

She stared down at the book in her lap and sighed contentedly. Since finding out Scarlett was half elf, she wanted to learn everything she could about them. Jareth had brought her to his library, and she was enjoying the book he recommended. So far, she had learned that elven folk were extremely loyal, dignified, and above all, highly intelligent beings with a thirst for always learning. Scarlett was one of Sarah's biology students, and a top student at that. From what Toby told her, she was pretty much smashing all her classes at school, so she was certainly fulfilling that characteristic.

Turning another page, Sarah smiled and cast a look over at Jareth, to find that he was already gazing at her with that charmed expression again. He had been doing it all afternoon.

"What?" She asked him shyly, with a titter.

"I beg your pardon?" He answered back, blinking in confusion a few times.

"Every time I look up, you're just smiling at me. Shouldn't you be reading?"

Jareth chuckled lightly. "Well I would, love. But I'm finding it a tad difficult to concentrate on this book when you're humming so beautifully."

Sarah giggled loudly and shook her head. "I didn't even realise I was humming. There's just so much to be happy about; I've been back at work a few weeks now, Toby and Scarlett are back together, and in just a few days we'll be finding out if we're having a little prince or princess."

She gazed down at the large book Jareth had been trying to read and could see he wasn't even a quarter way through it yet. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to distract you from your work."

"Oh, you don't need to apologise." Jareth answered caringly. "I love seeing you so full of joy. Your happiness paints my mornings of gold." He reached his hand out and lovingly stroked Sarah's baby bump, which at eighteen weeks gone, was getting pretty big. As always, even after all this time, his touch made her melt, especially with the warmth of the fire upon her.

"Hey! Do you know what we haven't done yet?" She said excitedly, after a few minutes, "we haven't talked about names for the baby."

"That's an exceptionally good point, precious." Jareth replied, closing the book and giving her his undivided attention. "Have you thought of any names you like?"

"A few." Sarah replied dreamily. "Mostly girl's names. To be honest, I can't find a boy's name that I love. How do fae folk decide on what name to choose?"

"Well." Jareth said knowingly. "If the baby is a boy, customarily they are named after their paternal grandfather."

"Oh, I see." Sarah said curiously. "So we would name our son Ahryias?"

"If we were to follow tradition, yes." Jareth replied. "It is seen as a great honour to both the child and the namesake. However, it is quite an old-fashioned way of doing things, we don't have to agree to it, Sarah."

Sarah thought about this custom for a moment. Jareth's father was a genuinely kind-hearted man, who had accepted Sarah into the family without question. Even though his wife had made it clear that she did not approve of Sarah, Ahryias had defended her, and Sarah was very touched by his compassion. It wouldn't be such an awful thing if her baby boy was named after him

"Actually, I really like it." She smiled to Jareth. "I think if we have a boy, we should call him Ahryias. I do have one little condition though?"

"What's that, precious?" He asked, raising his eyebrows ever so slightly

"I'd really like his middle name to be Toby. That way, he will be honouring two special people."

Jareth smiled lovingly at her. "I think it's a wonderful idea. Prince Ahryias Toby. Yes, I quite like it."

"Well, that's our boy's name sorted." Sarah replied cheerfully. "What happens with a girl?"

"Again, if we were to be traditional about it, the mother would choose the girl's name." Jareth informed her. "You said you had a few names chosen, why don't you share them with me?"

"Well, ever since I was a little girl, I always imagined that my daughter would share her name with a flower. I think flower names are so pretty." Sarah said adoringly. "My favourite ones would have to be Poppy, Violet, Iris, Lily and Ivy."

The fire crackled loudly, filling the silence in the air as both of them considered the possible names. Jareth leaned back in his chair with a pensive look painted onto his face, which then broke out into a wide smile.

"They are all wonderful names, Sarah, truly," He said, "Iris is particularly beautiful."

"Really, you think Iris is beautiful?" Sarah asked incredulously. "Iris is quite special to me because it was my grandmother's name." She said, reading Jareth's confused expression.

Sarah had many, many happy memories of Grandma Williams. She had been Sarah's rock through every emotional challenge in her younger years; when Sarah's mother walked out on her, when her father remarried Karen and moved across state, and even when Toby was born and Sarah had a difficult time adjusting to it, hard as that was to believe now.

Grandma Williams would always have a place for her to go to when she needed it and was never short of hugs and comfort. When Sarah was seventeen, it was a devastating blow when Grandma passed away, and a year later when her dad and Karen were killed in a plane crash, Sarah had never felt more alone. Had it not been for Jareth stepping up to the mark and helping her to raise Toby, Sarah would dread to think of where they would be now.

"She was an amazing lady." Sarah whispered.

"Well." Jareth said softly, breaking Sarah out of her thoughts, "I think Iris is just lovely. And I think your grandmother would be honoured to have her great granddaughter named after her."

Sarah looked into Jareth's kind, twinkling eyes and smiled. "Yeah, without a doubt. Oh, and do you know what? Iris sounds remarkably similar to Ahryias, so if we called her that name, she would still be honouring you father in a way."

"That's very creative, love." Jareth beamed at her, "My father will be delighted, as am I that we have found our child's name."

"I wonder if there's a feminine version of Toby." Sarah said jokingly with a laugh. "Speaking of which, where _is_ that boy? I haven't seen him since we got here."

"He's probably off exploring the castle grounds. You know how much the Underground fascinates him." Jareth replied, opening his book again to start reading.

Sarah was about to go back to her book again too, when an almighty ruckus outside the library doors made her look up. The sound of shrieking and laughter came rumbling through the library when suddenly, the doors burst open in and in stumbled Toby, with a goblin perched on his shoulder, two clinging to his legs for dear life, and another one dangling from his left elbow.

"Hey, Jareth, your goblins are causing mayhem in the throne room." Toby said energetically, both laughing and gasping for breath.

Jareth sighed exasperatingly and pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes in disdain. "What have you little louts done now?" He asked, his voice underlined with annoyance.

"Your Majesty, please, it's all Click-Clack's fault." Came the squeaky voice of the furry goblin on Toby's shoulder. "He made chicken angry and it fly up onto throne and knock Kingy's crystal over. Crystal go smash!"

"Not true! Chick-chick got scared by spit ball that Quake shot at it." Said the small goblin on Toby's right leg.

A high- pitched wail erupted from the goblin hanging on Toby's elbow, Sarah noted that it looked absolutely terrified. "Please, Kingy, Quake did not mean to scare chick-chick, Quake was just trying to make human boy laugh. But human boy get panicked when crystal go smash, and goblins get panicked too. Then _chick-chicks_ get panicked, and feathers fly all over throne room."

"How many times have I told you to stop pestering the chickens?" Jareth's voice boomed round the library, making the goblins visibly shake. "Don't let it happen again or I will be sending each one of you to the Bog of Eternal Stench. Now, get back to the throne room and clean up the mess."

"Yes, your Majesty!" All the goblins screeched at once, each of them falling from Toby onto the ground, and scarpering out of the library.

Toby laughed, closing the library door behind them, and turned to face Sarah and Jareth.

"Toby, why must you always annoy the goblins?" Sarah groaned sternly, with a hard stare.

"I don't know?" Toby replied and shrugged his shoulders as he sat down in the chair beside her. "Because it's fun?"

"Yes, well, Jareth brought us here so we can learn more about Scarlett's heritage, not for you to lollygag about with them."

"Man, I love this place." Toby said happily, ignoring Sarah's despair. "Can I come and visit when the baby's born?"

"Of course you can, my dear boy." Jareth answered kindly. "So long as you agree to not whip my goblins into a frenzy each time, or I may have to banish you to the Troll Kingdom."

Toby threw back his head and laughed loudly, knowing Jareth would never do such a thing.

"Ok, enough clowning around." Sarah said firmly, passing her book to Toby. "I want you to take a look at this book. It tells you all you need to know about elves. It might help you understand Scarlett's traits and customs a bit more."

"Ok, fine." Toby moaned, rolling his eyes, and taking the book from Sarah. "But while we're on the topic of Scarlett, would it be ok if she came over for dinner some time this week? I really want her to meet Jareth. You guys can get to know her, too."

Sarah looked over at Jareth who smiled and nodded his head. "That would be very nice." He said pleasantly.

"Why don't you bring her over on Friday?" Sarah suggested excitedly, "Jareth and I are finding out the sex of the baby on Friday morning, then we can share the news with you and Scarlett over dinner."

Toby's eyes lit up elatedly a huge grin spread over his face. It made Sarah feel so pleased that her little brother was happy again. She knew he really loved Scarlett, and to give her credit, Scarlett was a genuinely nice, level-headed young woman.

"Yeah, that would be great!" Toby bellowed enthusiastically. "Can you make peach cobbler for dessert, Sarah? It's Scarlett's favourite."

"Sure, kiddo. Whatever you want." Sarah replied.

"Awesome! Peach cobbler, Scarlett, and we find out if the baby is a boy or a girl. Plus, to make it even better, it's the start of the weekend. It is going to be a great night. What could possibly go wrong?"

* * *

A/N- Hey everyone, hope you are all keeping safe and well during this tough time. This was just a little short fluffy/funny chapter to make way for the next one. Hope you enjoyed it, and I am looking forward to writing the next one, where we find out if the baby is a boy or girl, how exciting! Just out of interest, what do you want Sarah and Jareth's baby to be? It won't change the outcome of the story as I have already decided, I am just curious about what you guys would personally like!


	13. Chapter 13

The butterfly feeling in Sarah's stomach would just not subside. Try as she might, she could not contain how excited she was right now. In just a few moments she and Jareth would know if the baby she was carrying was a son or a daughter, a thrilling moment in any expectant parent's life.

While they were in the maternity department waiting room, Sarah thought back to her very first scan she had, at not even eleven weeks gone. She and Jareth had had an argument and she was terribly upset about it. Then the unexpected bleeding came, forcing the need for an early scan, and it scared her senseless. Back then she wasn't even sure if she wanted a baby. It seemed a little soon to her; after all her main concern before anything was making sure Toby had made it to graduation and got himself a job, at least a part-time one if he wanted to study further. She worried about her little brother, but as Jareth kept reminding her, he was a very responsible young man who could take care of himself.

Jareth placed his hand on Sarah's crossed knee and smiled at her affectionately. The day-to-day noises of the busy maternity ward flooded into her ears, bringing her out of her cyclone of thoughts. His hand came away from her knee and moved to her own hand. In a swift motion he lifted it up to his lips and tenderly placed a kiss onto it.

"Are you alright, precious?" he asked, concerned. "You look like you had a few things on your mind there."

Sarah smiled at him lovingly, "I'm fine. I'm just so excited to be finding out the baby's sex."

Jareth's smile grew bigger as Sarah stared into his eyes, the sparkle in them mirroring her own elation. "Are you sure you don't mind us knowing? I can ask the sonographer not to tell us if you prefer not to. She can just let us know how the baby is doing instead?"

"Are you joking?" Jareth sniggered, "it's all you've been talking about for weeks. If I know you, Sarah Williams, and I do rather well," He grinned at her mischievously, "the not-knowing will consume your every thought, until the anticipation bursts out of you. We're finding out."

Sarah couldn't help but burst out laughing. It was true, she was an orderly and co-ordinated woman, always wanting to know what was happening so she could plan accordingly. She was sure it drove Jareth mad at times, but he had the good grace not to mention it.

"And you really don't care if it's a boy or a girl?" She asked curiously, already knowing the answer.

"Why would I care about that, darling?" He said softly, caressing her cheek. "All I care is that the child is safe and well. I already love them so very much."

The last sentence made Sarah's heart melt and she felt her bottom lip drop. This was happening to her all too often these days, anything with the slightest modicum of sentiment had her turning into an emotional wreck. A most uncharacteristic trait for Sarah that she absolutely did not enjoy, however, Jareth had expressed his opinion that he found it both adorable and amusing.

"Miss Williams?" They both looked up to see a young woman in uniform standing in front of them. Sarah recognised the lady before them, she was the same sonographer would had done Sarah's very first scan, the one who reassured Sarah with her kind words that everything was ok.

"If you're ready for your ultrasound scan, please come this way."

Sarah and Jareth rose from their seats and followed the woman down an active corridor filled with lots of pregnant women and their partners, and into a little side room. The sonographer didn't need to tell her what to do next, Sarah knew the drill and climbed onto the bed that was waiting for her, while Jareth took hold of her hand in anticipation of what came next.

"You've certainly grown since I last saw you," the lady said cheerfully, eyeing Sarah's belly. "Excellent, I always like to see a happy outcome. Oh, is this the baby's father?" she asked inquisitively, her eyes falling upon Jareth.

"Yes, this is my fiancé, Jareth." Sarah replied, inwardly wincing a little as the lady smeared freezing cold gel onto her stomach in preparation for the scan.

"Oh…well, it's very nice to meet you." She replied, obviously a bit taken aback by Jareth's otherworldly appearance. "So, will you be finding out the baby's sex today, or just a check-up?"

Sarah turned her head to look up at Jareth with questioning eyes, giving him one last chance to change his mind if he wanted to. In response, he smiled lovingly down at her and nodded his head. "We'd like to find out, please." She said shyly.

"Alrighty," The sonographer replied, rolling the doppler over Sarah's bump, "let us take a look."

A few moments of silence passed as the sonographer moved the doppler round and stared at the screen. Sarah's stomach was doing backflips. She couldn't believe how anxious she felt and waited expectantly for the sonographer to speak. Why wasn't she speaking? Was something wrong? Her face was expressionless, not giving anything away. Sarah could feel her heart thumping with worry. Her agitation must have shown, for she felt Jareth put his arm around her shoulder in a comforting cuddle. After what felt like an eternity, the silence was finally broken.

"Everything looks absolutely perfect here," the sonographer beamed, and turned the screen round so Sarah and Jareth could see the baby.

"Wow!" Sarah said in amazement, which was really quite ridiculous considering she was a biology teacher and had taught countless classes about the miracle of life. She just couldn't believe how big the baby had grown from her last scan. She felt Jareth's other hand squeeze hers tightly, still enfolded in his embrace. Gazing up at him, she saw him staring misty-eyed at the screen, nothing but pure adoration on his face.

"Your baby is developing just fine. Everything is where it should be. Ten fingers and ten toes, the organs all look healthy, although I do have to say, the ears are a _little_ on the pointy side."

Sarah grinned, knowing that was only to be expected when the baby was half fae. So they had their father's ears, it made her love them all the more. "That's great to hear!" She said, exhaling a sigh of relief that she didn't realise she was holding in. "And… are we having a girl or a boy?" Sarah bit down on her lip nervously and looked up at the sonographer.

"Do you have any names picked?" She asked, "why don't you tell me what they are first?"

"Well, for a boy we chose Ahryias." Sarah said, and as expected the sonographer raised her eyebrows at her. "That's an unusual name, I've never heard of it before." She said kindly, "it's different, I like it! What about a girl's name?"

"For our girl's name we chose Iris."

"No kidding!" The sonographer replied incredulously, "that's _my_ name!"

Sarah smiled fondly. She would always remember how kind Iris had been to her during her first scan when she was so frightened that she was losing the baby. If the baby was a girl, it wouldn't be such a bad reminder of the compassion that the woman had shown.

"Well, out of the names that you have chosen," Iris said slowly, building up the tension even more. "The winning one will be…"

Sarah's eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat.

* * *

The smell of lasagne crisping in the oven was making Sarah's stomach growl. After the scan this morning, she had to rush back to work and didn't get time to grab any lunch, she was starving.

"Why don't you let me take care of the food, precious?" Jareth asked, as she bustled about the kitchen, getting ready for dinner tonight.

"Oh, I don't know? Because I want the food to be edible?" She laughed, throwing a playful glance at him.

"You accidentally start one fire, and the trust is forever gone." He smirked redundantly, rolling his eyes.

"Man, it smells amazing in here," came the sound of Toby's voice as he wandered into the kitchen. Sarah noticed that he had certainly risen to the occasion and was dressed to impress, however, he looked rather pale with a hint of dark circles under his eyes.

"Toby, are you feeling ok?" She asked uneasily. "You look a bit ill. Maybe we should have Scarlett over another night so you can rest."

"Sarah, I'm not a baby." He said to her sulkily, hands on his hips and his cheeks slightly flushing. "I don't need you to worry about me, I'm fine. You know, when you're living it up in the Goblin Kingdom you won't be able to check in on my every move."

Sarah turned to take the lasagne out of the oven, but not before noticing Jareth's raised eyebrows and the look on his face that she knew was just screaming 'didn't I tell you that?' In retaliation she shot him daggers and stuck her tongue out at him, whilst he smirked at her childish behaviour. She knew Toby was almost an adult, it didn't stop her worrying about him though. "Help me take the food to the dining room, please."

"Wow, you didn't have to cook for the whole neighbourhood," Toby laughed, looking at the plethora of culinary dishes Sarah had prepared for dinner. She had to admit, she did make a lot of food. It was because she wasn't sure what Scarlett liked so wanted to make sure there were enough options.

"Well, I wanted to make the night special for you, kiddo." Sarah replied kindly, smiling at him. "I know how much Scarlett means to you, and Jareth and I really appreciate you risking your relationship to try and protect our secret."

"Indeed," Jareth replied respectfully, "It was most honourable of you to consider our needs over your own."

Toby's face broke out into a heart-warming smile which magnified Sarah's happiness tenfold. "Why wouldn't I? You guys have protected me my whole life. What sort of ingrate would I be if I didn't do the same for you?"

There go those damn hormones again, Sarah cursed herself as her eyes began to well up with tears. _This really was getting absurd now_, she scolded. Thankfully, the sharp ring of the doorbell took the attention away from her, stopping any chance of an emotional outburst from occurring.

"She's here!" Toby yelled and jumped up startled, as though the doorbell had zapped him like a buzzer.

"Maybe go and let her in then?" Sarah snickered, shaking her head amusedly, as Toby scurried excitedly out of the kitchen to greet Scarlett.

She turned to Jareth and smiled. "Well, here goes nothing."

* * *

Learning about Scarlett's elven background was fascinating. For most of the evening it was practically all they talked about. The girl was probably fed-up of her constantly bombarding her with question after question, but she couldn't help it, it was very interesting hearing about the customs and lives of other magical beings besides fae folk. As someone who was soon to be Goblin Queen it wasn't such a bad idea absorbing as much information as she could about the magical realm of the Underground.

So far, she had learned that Scarlett's mother was a human and her father an elf. They married for a few years but split when Scarlett was an infant. She currently lived with her mother for the most part, and occasionally visited her father, who lives in a part of the Underground called Aszeryth Woods, also known as the Elven Kingdom, working as a shoe cobbler for the Elven King.

"And to think all this time I thought your step-dad was your actual father," Toby mused, spooning a third helping of mac 'n' cheese onto his plate. "Wait, does that mean your sisters are half elf too?"

"No, my sisters and I don't share the same father." Scarlett answered casually, "They are all human. They don't actually know I am part elf; my mom thinks they are too young to be trusted with that information."

"That's interesting," Said Sarah, "we took a gamble and told Toby about the Underground when he was little. Thankfully, he never ratted us out to anyone. Not that any human would believe in magic, of course."

Scarlett giggled and smiled at Sarah. The tops of her pointed elf ears were peering through her hair, and Sarah was happy that she felt comfortable enough to not hide her true self. She seemed relaxed all evening, and Sarah was glad to know she was enjoying their company.

"The food is delicious, Miss Williams. Thank you so much for inviting me over."

"It was my pleasure Scarlett," Sarah beamed. What a polite young lady, she thought. "And please, call me Sarah. You only need to call me Miss Williams when we are in school."

"Which thankfully won't be for much longer." Said Toby happily.

"Speaking of which, what are your plans for after school, Scarlett?" Sarah asked eagerly. "I'm sure you'll have dozens of colleges offering you a place, with your impeccable grades."

"Oh, well…I haven't quite decided yet." She stammered.

"Oh." Sarah blinked a few times, feeling rather surprised. Scarlett was probably the most studious and hard-working pupil she had ever had the pleasure of teaching. She could go on to study for any number of professions; a doctor, a scientist, even a high court supreme judge if she wanted. Sarah just found it a little odd that she hadn't planned for her future interests when, she was only a few months away from graduating.

"Enough about me," Scarlett said breezily after a few moments. "Let's talk about you, and the baby. Toby said you have some exciting news to share with us tonight?"

"Yes, we certainly do." Sarah replied, clapping her hands together, and grinning over at Jareth. "But before we do that, I'm going to clear the table and serve dessert."

"Allow me to, sweetheart." Jareth said thoughtfully. "You've been working hard on this dinner all afternoon." With a wave of his hand the table was cleared of dishes and cutlery, and in the middle of the table was a cake that Sarah had made earlier, along with fresh cutlery, plates and napkins.

"What's this?" Toby asked, clearly expecting there to be a peach cobbler there instead of a sponge cake.

"Now, I know you asked for a peach cobbler, kiddo." Sarah started, that butterfly feeling coming back into her stomach. "But I spent all afternoon making this iced sponge cake. You'll like it, it's a very special one."

"Really? What's so special about it?" Toby asked curiously.

"Well, why don't you cut it and find out?" Jareth smiled at him from across the table.

Pulling the cake towards him, Toby began to cut a slice of the cake. Sarah observed in amusement as his eyebrows knitted together. "I don't see anything out of the ordinary, except the inside of the cake is bright pink."

He looked up as the sound of both Sarah and Scarlett giggling filled the room. "What?" Toby asked, the meaning so obviously being missed.

"Toby," Scarlett said, composing herself. "Sarah and Jareth said they were going to share some exciting news with us about the baby. The inside of the cake is pink, so what do you think that means?"

Sarah couldn't contain her laughter as the realisation hit Toby. "Oh!" He shouted, planting the palms of his hands firmly on top of his head, a huge smile breaking out on his face. "The baby is a girl! You're going to have a Goblin Princess!"

"Really, Toby, I thought you were a little sharper at picking up clues," Sarah tittered; however Toby was far too elated about the news of the baby to be listening to her.

"Did you hear that, Scarlett? I'm getting a niece." He said proudly, making Sarah's heart soar.

"I think it's amazing news, truly," Scarlett replied gleefully. "Congratulations to you both."

"Why, thank you Scarlett, that's very kind of you to say." Jareth said, as his eyes twinkled with happiness.

"Hey, you know what?" Sarah said, rising to her feet, "Toby why don't you take Scarlett into the living room and get comfortable, Jareth and I will bring in some cake and tea while we show you the scan photos."

"Are you sure you don't want us to make the tea, Sarah?" Scarlett asked considerately. "You've already done so much for us tonight."

"Oh no, honey, you're our guest." Sarah replied, ushering her and Toby out of the dining room. "You just go into the living room and we'll be right there." She called after them as they exited the dining room.

"So, what do you think of Scarlett?" She asked Jareth after a few moments, making sure they were completely out of earshot. "Isn't she just the sweetest girl?"

"Well, what can I say? She is a delightful young lady."

Sarah smiled at his agreement and picked up the knife to begin cutting the rest of the cake. "Could you boil the kettle for me please?" She asked Jareth, as she began dishing out the slices of cake onto four plates. When there was no response from him, she turned her head to look at him, and saw that his face was etched with what looked like worry.

"Jareth, what's wrong?" She asked, beginning to feel concerned herself. "Is there something wrong with Scarlett?"

"Sarah, I think Scarlett is a lovely girl, but there's something you should know about her."

Before Sarah could even open her mouth to reply, a blood-curdling, male scream pierced through the air, making Sarah and Jareth both jump, followed by a loud thud, as if something heavy had hit the floor.

"_**TOBY?!**_" Sarah bellowed fearfully, Jareth following behind her as she raced into the living room as quickly as she could. Her heart was hammering erratically, terrified of what she might see.

Stopping dead at the frame of the living room door, Sarah screamed hysterically as she found her little brother lying on the floor, his eyes rolling into the back of his head. His mouth was wide open, and his body had turned an unnatural shade of deathly white. On the floor next to him was Scarlett, hunched over his body and staring up at Sarah and Jareth with wide, dilated eyes. She had her hand placed over Toby's heart, her chest rapidly rising and falling as her breathing grew shallow. A panic-stricken sense of impending doom surged through every vein in Sarah's body.

"Scarlett, what the hell have you done?"

* * *

Hello all, thank you for reading! I really enjoyed writing this chapter, and I'm excited for the next one. At least one good thing about this lock down is that I have more time to work on this story and think about my upcoming chapters! It's very daunting right now, and I hope everyone is dealing ok with the changes. As always, please leave me a review, and above all, stay safe. Remember, it won't always be like this. X


	14. Chapter 14

Sarah's breathing became increasingly laboured, and her body began shaking all over, as jolt after jolt of panic blasted through her nervous system. What the hell had just happened? Not ten minutes ago was Toby happily stuffing his face with mac 'n' cheese and showing his excitement over the new-found knowledge of his impending baby niece. Now he was sprawled out on the floor in a catatonic state, with his eyes rolling in his head.

She frantically dropped down to Toby's side and placed her trembling hand on his lifeless arm. His skin was as icy to touch as it was to look at; not only was it painted a deathlike snowy shade of white, but on closer inspection, a strange, unnatural frosty glow seemed to be radiating from all over his body. While Sarah admitted her knowledge of magic did not extend very far, she knew this was no human illness; there was magic involved here, and dark magic at that. Sarah knew Jareth would sooner rip out his own beating heart before he caused any harm to Toby, and that left only one other person in the vicinity who inhibited magical powers…

"I said what did you do to him?" She spat at Scarlett in a fitful rage, trying so hard to fight the temptation to leap over Toby's body and repeatedly shake her by the collar until she had explained what she had done to her little brother. Sarah's angry eyes locked onto Scarlett's frightened ones as she leaned in closer towards her, Scarlett's lips visibly quaking under her glare. She didn't care if this girl was an evil elf hybrid, she wasn't going to come into her house and cause injury to Toby, especially right under her and Jareth's nose.

"I- I didn't do anything, I swear!" She stuttered back at Sarah, her indigo eyes amplifying in size with each passing moment. The 'term deer-caught-in-headlights' sprung to Sarah's mind. "We- we were just talking and then he sort of just… stopped and became immobile- like he was turning to ice." Scarlett drew in a deep breath, eyebrows dropping low to frame a very worried expression. "And next thing I knew he was on the floor, convulsing! I thought he was having a fit or something!"

"I'm afraid that's just not good enough!" Sarah bellowed. She knew she was being unreasonable. She knew she had no proof that Scarlett did anything, but she could not stop her panic-driven tirade. "You know exactly what happened and you're not leaving until you tell me you little-"

"Sarah, calm down." Jareth cut in tetchily, joining them on the floor to examine Toby's comatose state. "Scarlett had nothing to do with this. She is only seventeen, her magic is not powerful enough to cause malevolence on a scale this grand." Jareth gently lifted up Toby's arm and leaned in closer to peer at the eerie white glow. After a minute he put his hand on Toby's chest, where it rose and fell. Sarah closed her eyes, reassured by the fact that he was at least still breathing.

"Besides," Jareth continued, "she loves Toby. To think she would intentionally cause harm to him is a deeply insulting concept."

"Then why is he lying on the floor in an unconscious heap?!" Sarah cried out hopelessly. Unable to contain her utter terror any longer, huge, thick tears sprung from her eyes and trailed down both her cheeks. Sarah's chest began to shudder with the deep, forceful sobs it emitted, her heart completely broken. She just couldn't lose Toby, she loved him too much.

Unexpectedly, given the dire situation and the apparent lack of time that they couldn't afford to waste, Jareth reached out and pulled Sarah into a warm, comforting hug. In her distress, Sarah gladly accepted his consolation and buried her head into his chest, wishing this foul nightmare to be over. For a few tender moments, Jareth let her cry uncontrollably while he held her close and his hand lovingly stroked her soft tresses- a tactic that was known to make her feel better.

"Listen to me, precious." Jareth said softly after a few minutes, breaking the hug and placing his hand under her chin. Sarah's head gently tilted up and she looked into Jareth's sparkling eyes, their beauty always had a way of tranquilising her. "Toby is in danger and needs our help. We're going to take him to the Underground and find out what is causing this. But before we do that, I need you to stay calm. All this stress will have an unfavourable effect on you. And not just you, little Iris too."

Sarah's breathing began to return to normal as she took in what Jareth was saying. He was correct of course, no good could come out of panicking this hard, it certainly wasn't aiding Toby in any way. She had to try and control herself, for Toby, and for Iris; their precious pre-born daughter who was currently swimming around inside her.

"Now, do you think you could do that, precious?"

Wiping her eyes, a sense of determination flooded through Sarah's veins. She could do that, she would do whatever it took to save Toby's life.

"Take us to the Underground."

* * *

The next hour swept in like a frenzied whirlwind that Sarah could barely keep up to pace with. True to his word, Jareth had transported her, Scarlett and Toby to his castle, and had Toby resting in one of his guestrooms. Almost as soon as they arrived, Jareth called his personal healer to examine Toby.

"Well, Merrick, what's the verdict?"

The tall, black-haired healer loomed over Toby, his icy grey eyes that were shielding behind rectangle spectacles, scanned intensely over Toby's rigid body. The corners of his mouth pulled into a frown as he assessed the situation.

"Whoever did this to him is no friend of yours." His gruff, Scottish accent rang through the air. "The boy's been poisoned." He growled, before falling into silence as everyone in the room collected their thoughts.

Poisoned? How was that possible? The only person who had handled the food at dinner tonight was Sarah, and of course she didn't recall adding any cyanide to the lasagne. It just wasn't adding up.

"Excuse me, but just what are you insinuating about my cooking?" Sarah asked suspiciously, straightening up and placing her hands on her hips, which forced her baby bump to pop out and appear bigger.

"It's not that type of poisoning." Merrick explained, turning towards her. "It's the result of a dark curse being placed on the boy. The curse is quite literally running through his veins, which is why his skin is radiating. We refer to it as magical poisoning."

"Oh, Toby." Scarlett cried sadly with tears in her eyes, as she sat down beside his bed and took his frozen hand into her own.

Sarah's blood pressure dropped so low that she had to cling on to Jareth for support. She could feel herself being pulled into an emotional dark hole. Her poor brother. "But you can help him, right?" She asked hopefully, knowing she was probably clutching at straws. "You can lift the spell, or reverse it, or whatever it is you do with a curse?"

"We can, aye." Merrick answered. "But I'm afraid it's not as simple as you think. In order for us to counteract the curse, we first need to know what kind of curse we're dealing with here. Tampering blindly with magic this dark could have catastrophic consequences."

Sarah took in a sharp breath and turned towards Jareth who was standing behind her, supporting her as she listened to this dreadful news. "You said fae folk can sense magic."

"Yes, love, that is true. But curses are not as straight forward, they're designed to be fast-acting and stealthy. Once they enter the bloodstream, unfortunately they become undetectable. T'is why they are so dangerous if we don't know the source of them."

Sarah sighed hopelessly. She couldn't believe this was happening. Toby was so sweet, kind and caring, who the hell would want to put a curse on him? Who did Toby even know from the Underground, aside from Jareth and Scarlett? Nobody. None of this made any sense. "How does one even get cursed?"

Jareth gripped her shoulders and took in a deep breath. "Any type of magic- be it a curse or a love spell, or anything else- must first pass into the recipient's bloodstream for it to take effect, usually from one of three ways; It can be consumed through food or drink, which is what happened when you ran the Labyrinth all those years ago and took a bite of a magically-imbued peach."

Sarah nodded, understanding the concept. "Ok. What else?"

"The second method is through respiration. Spells and curses can be airborne, so magical particles can be inhaled and access the bloodstream through means of the airway."

Sarah arched her eyebrows up in surprise. She had no idea that casting spells was so technical. It was an exact science, an art even. "And the third?"

"Well, magic can also be absorbed through the skin. This is how the ring that my mother gave you is working. She impregnated it with a blessing spell, and so your skin is making direct contact with it, thus you receive the effects. Putting a spell on an object means the effects of the spell last longer. If you were to consume the spell through food or a potion, the benefits would only be short-lived."

Casting her gaze down to the ring, Sarah eyed it shiftily. What if Jareth's mother had done something to the ring? After all, it was no secret that she saw Toby as an obstacle that prevented Sarah and Jareth from getting married and moving to the Underground before the baby was born. Something that she had made quite clear she wasn't going to tolerate.

"Jareth, are you sure there isn't anything sinister about this ring?" She asked, with dread bubbling at the pit of her stomach.

Jareth lifted Sarah's hand towards him and carefully inspected the ring on her third finger, of her right hand. "I must admit, it did cross my mind there was something ominous about it. Even before Toby fell ill. However, the only magic exuding from it is the blessing spell. There is absolutely nothing else that I can sense from it."

"Aye, that's all I'm getting from the ring too." Merrick said, stalking towards the door. "I'm going to see if I can find anything in the library that can help us. In the meantime, I've placed a healing spell on the boy. It won't undo the work of the curse, but it may buy us some time to come up with a plan. I'm afraid we only have a few days to find a solution before the boy succumbs to it."

Sarah felt her whole world collapse at that last sentence. A few days. They could be the last remaining days of Toby's life, at just seventeen years old. He was so young and had his whole future ahead of him. It wasn't supposed to be this way. She felt Jareth pull her into another hug, only this time she was too full of fear to respond.

"I'm…frightened." She stammered numbly.

"I know, sweetheart." He whispered tenderly, stroking her cheek. "We all are. But Merrick and I are going to do everything within our powers to rid Toby of this evil magic." He gazed down at her and gently caressed her cheek, trying to offer some small comfort. "I'm going to help Merrick in the library. You stay here with Scarlett and make sure Toby's condition does not deteriorate. If anything at all changes, send Scarlett to get me."

Sarah nodded grudgingly at his words. She really didn't want Jareth to leave Toby's side, but what choice did she have? What was happening to Toby was way beyond her depth of course, on account of her being human.

Jareth planted a small kiss on the top of her head before whispering, "Perhaps you should take this opportunity to apologise to Scarlett. I'm sure Toby would not want there to be any bad blood between his sister and the girl he loves." And he smiled at her before exiting the room.

Looking over at Scarlett, Sarah could see that her eyes were red and watery, evidently, she had been silently crying this whole time. Sarah walked over beside her and sat down, gazing down at Toby. There was deafening silence between the two of them for a few minutes, before Sarah decided the awkwardness could not continue. "Hey." She said shyly, not really knowing how to start this conversation. She was sure Scarlett was angry at her, and if she were truly honest with herself, she didn't blame the girl.

Scarlett's eyes flickered across to meet Sarah's for a split second and then resumed their position back down towards Toby. "Are you sure you want to sit with me?" She asked dryly. "I might poison you like I did to Toby."

Sarah paused for a second before responding to her. She felt truly awful now for blaming the curse on Scarlett. She clearly cared about Toby and had no reason to want to hurt him. What an idiot she had been.

"Scarlett, I want to apologise for accusing you of cursing Toby." She said meekly. "I was completely out of order with the way I spoke to you. I guess I freaked out when I saw the state he was in, and then Jareth said there was some secret I needed to know, and I jumped to the wrong conclusion. Anyway, I'm really sorry. I hope you can forgive me because you're all Toby can talk about. He's crazy about you."

A small smile began to play on the corner of Scarlett's lips. "He talks about me a lot?" She asked.

"Talks about you? He never shuts up." Sarah replied amusedly, "When you guys broke up, he was crushed. And I felt like it was all my fault because he was just protecting me and the baby. He's sweet like that."

"Oh, I know." Scarlett replied endearingly. "It was his kindness and his sensitivity that made me fall in love with him. Most of those other boys in class just want one thing from a girl. The things I have heard them say. They're like vultures, it's disgusting."

Sarah knew the boys Scarlett was referring to. She had overheard and doled out punishments to the little womanisers a few times, speaking about girls as though they were nothing but a plate of meat. She even had to speak to their parents about the revolting language on several occasions. Scarlett wasn't wrong about them.

"But Toby is so far from that." Scarlett continued. "He's sweet and respectful. And he genuinely cares about people. He's a good guy."

Sarah smiled wistfully. Even as a little boy, Toby had always been caring. In preschool, he used to give his box of milk to the children who didn't have any at snack time. It's was a reoccurring theme that came up in all the meetings she had had with Toby's teachers over the years; 'Toby likes to share', 'Toby includes everyone during playtime', 'Toby is a kind and conscientious student.". Even with the tragedy of their parents dying and having to adjust to a magical Goblin King becoming part of his life, he still turned out to be a good person. Sarah felt immensely proud that she and Jareth had done something right when raising him.

"By the way, I forgive you." Scarlett piped up after a few silent minutes. "I know you just panicked when you saw Toby lying on the floor comatose. It didn't help that I was crouched over him when you came in, I can see why you thought I was guilty."

"Yeah, what exactly where you doing? I saw you putting your hand over his heart." Sarah asked curiously.

"I was putting a protection charm on his heart." She answered. "The beating was getting weaker and weaker. It had almost stopped altogether."

Sarah's eyes widened. She didn't know Toby's heart had stopped beating. Hell, Scarlett had effectively saved his life, which made her feel even worse about trying to pin the blame onto her.

"We elves are quite gifted with charms." She smiled proudly. "In fact, they are the speciality of our species." Sarah remembered reading about this when she was studying in Jareth's library; Elves were known to perform charms that fae magic had little effect on. It was quite fascinating discovering that fae folk had magical weaknesses, she just assumed they were these all-powerful beings with magic that knew no bounds. But alas, it was not so.

"Scarlett," Sarah began, curiosity tugging at her. "This secret that you're supposedly hiding…Jareth was about to tell me about it, before Toby collapsed…"

Sarah noticed that Scarlett's face changed, and she was back to looking visibly upset. She didn't want to pry into the life of her brother's girlfriend, but the suspense was driving her mad.

"There isn't anything menacing or threatening about me, Sarah." Scarlett whispered, her voice growing very unstable. "I think it's been established that I love Toby and would never intentionally hurt him. This secret you speak off… I know what Jareth is referring to…but I'm not ready for it to be revealed." She licked her lips and took in a deep breath, trying to steady her voice. "I will, in due time of course. I'll tell Toby when I feel the time is right. But until then, you're going to have to trust me. You do trust me, don't you Sarah?"

Sarah looked into Scarlett's dark blue eyes and could see that the girl was pleading with her. Whatever this secret was, it could not be that bad, or Jareth would have stopped Toby from seeing her. She had doubted Scarlett enough tonight, even though she had protected Toby's heart from failing. There was no advantage of driving a wedge between the two of them further. She remembered what Jareth has said, Toby would not want her to treat the love of his life this way.

"I trust you, Scarlett." She said, genuinely meaning it. "I won't ask Jareth about it. You have my word."

They both smiled at each other and Sarah felt the beginning of a bond being created between them.

Groaning in pain, Sarah sat up in her chair, squeezing the bottom of her back. She was getting so big and uncomfortable at this stage of the pregnancy, and her lower back was taking a hit; she of course wasn't used to the extra weight.

"Are you ok?" Scarlett asked, sounding a tad worried.

"Yes, I'm just a little sore." Sarah replied, rubbing her right hand over her swollen bump. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm incubating a giant hedgehog instead of a baby." She tittered.

"Is that the ring Jareth's mother gave you?" Scarlett asked with curiosity, her eyes becoming wide.

"Yes. It's apparently giving protection to me and the baby. If only it gave me protection from back ache and morning sickness." Sarah said, moving her hand closer so Scarlett could get a better look at it. She took Sarah's hand and peered at the ring closely, before promptly jumping up from her chair, forcing it to fly backwards, and scaring Sarah half to death in the process.

"What's wrong with you?" Sarah yelled, placing her hand on her now thumping heart. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"I need to find Jareth." Scarlett boomed, her voice dripping with urgency. "Where is he?"

"He's in the library." Sarah said, rising to her feet. "Why do you need to find him? He said only to get him if Toby had worsened." Sarah glanced down at Toby. He looked exactly the same as he did when he first arrived here; still unmoving, but thankfully still breathing.

"Sarah, you don't understand." Scarlett said fearfully. "That ring has had a concealment charm placed on it. It's hiding something. It could be the source of the curse."

Sarah felt her heart drop into her stomach. "Get Jareth. Now."

* * *

"Scarlett, are you absolutely sure of this?"

Sarah watched with bated breath as Jareth surveyed the ring. She didn't fully understand what was happening but knew that this could play a key part in making Toby better again.

"I'm positive, Jareth." Scarlett replied. "It's a concealment charm. Only an elf could have put it there, and only an elf could have detected it. Which is why you and Merrick didn't notice anything amiss with the ring."

"Well, I am not going to doubt your judgement." Jareth replied calmly, handing the ring over to Merrick. "You are part elf, after all. I should never have trusted my mother."

"Does this mean you can get rid of this curse?" Sarah asked optimistically.

"Perhaps." Merrick growled, inspecting the ring closely. "If the charm can be broken, we can see if there is something else lurking in there besides the blessing spell. If we can identify the curse, then we will know the best way to treat the boy, and his life may be spared."

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Sarah asked impatiently. "Break the charm."

"We can't just break it, Sarah." Jareth replied. "Fae magic has no effect on Elven charms. Scarlett is going to have to be the one to carry out this task."

Scarlett's eyes filled with fright as she became the centre of everyone's attention. "Me? But I'm only half elf, and my magic isn't strong enough to break charms yet." She stuttered, clearly incredibly nervous with this newly appointed role.

"True, but I can help you." Jareth answered assuredly. "Fae and Elven powers are vastly different, but that doesn't mean I can't teach you how to strengthen your magic. There's no room for uncertainty, this is the only fighting chance Toby has for survival, Scarlett. You're his only hope, and you can't fail. Now, are you going to at least try to help him?"

Sarah saw Scarlett's gaze drifting towards Toby, and she immediately felt sorry for the girl. There was so much at stake here, so much scope for failure. The pressure being put onto her was enormous as Toby's life hung in the balance. Should this mission prove unsuccessful, her little brother would die. But would Scarlett feel able enough to perform such a feat?

When Scarlett turned back towards them, her face had completely changed, as if a switch had been flipped. Her eyes became narrow and focused, her lips were curled up, almost into a feral snarl, and one hand was placed on her hip, exuding a new-found sense of confidence. She was like a warrior gearing up for battle. Fear and panic had seemingly been banished, and was been replaced with pure, unfiltered determination.

"Teach me, Goblin King."

* * *

A/N- This chapter was by far the most fun to write! I kept getting new ideas as I went along, which is why it's nearly twice as long as my usual chapters!. Hope you enjoyed it, as always thank you so much for the reviews, they are much appreciated!


	15. Chapter 15

A/N- Hi everyone, here I am back with another chapter! To keep things interesting I thought I'd try something different and write from Scarlett's POV for this one. Enjoy, and as always thank you for the new reviews! :-)

* * *

For the one hundredth time that night, perhaps even more, Scarlett stared long and hard at the twinkling crystal in Jareth's hand, willing the damned thing to just break already. Since finding out that only an elf could get rid of the charm on the ring, Scarlett had been first practicing on one of Jareth's crystals. He explained to her that it would be unwise of them to perform any magic on the ring until her talent for breaking charms had been perfectly executed, considering that the curse was seemingly so dark and unpredictable.

Jareth had been coaching her all night, trying his best to enhance her skills so that she may tap into her higher powers, and gain the ability to break the concealment charm. Many hours of hard work and commitment had passed, but her magic did not so much as even leave a scratch on the crystal, let alone break it entirely.

Like most elves, Scarlett had been blessed when it came to charms. Even for being half human, she was exceptionally talented at performing them, and this had been proven when she had prevented Toby's heart from stopping when he was cursed. But when it came to breaking them? Well, she had not mastered how to do that yet.

In elven culture, breaking charms was not something elves learned until much later in their lives. At Scarlett's age, elves were still considered to be younglings, and as such they were taught that any magic used on people, animals or indeed any living thing must be used responsibly and respectfully. If they did not know how to break a charm, then it discouraged them from using magic to do anything untoward. Charms needed to be placed with good intention and certainty, for without knowing how to break them, it meant there was no way to rectify any problems should something go wrong. Scarlett understood the reasoning behind this idea; however she couldn't help feeling completely frustrated and bitter at the situation they were facing.

It was just her and Jareth in the room with Toby; he had sent Sarah and Merrick off to get some sleep hours ago as there was no point everybody suffering needlessly, especially Sarah who was of course heavily pregnant. And though Sarah protested that she wasn't going to leave Toby's side, Jareth had practically pleaded with her to get some rest, and promised that if there were any changes, no matter how trivial, he would come and wake her.

"Are you sure you want to continue with this?" Jareth asked her, concernedly. "Gaining stronger magic will take a toll on your short-term health. You'll find yourself out of action for a few days after. And I should warn you, it will be a painful process."

Scarlett nodded at him, accepting the risks. She knew what she was getting into, understood the dangers and was still willing to put herself through them for Toby.

A small frown pulled at the corners of Jareth's lips. "It doesn't have to be this way, Scarlett." He said gently. "You know that you don't have to put yourself in harm's way. If you would just ask your father-"

"No!" She shot at him, eyes wide. "No, I don't want to unless absolutely necessary."

Jareth stared at her for a few moments and sighed softly. It was obvious he didn't approve of her answer, but what choice did he have really? "Very well then. The key is to concentrate and remain calm. Clear your thoughts of everything and anything else. Just focus on the crystal."

A pinky-orange glow peeked through the windows of the guestroom, showing her the sun was bringing a new day to the Underground, and though it killed her to admit it, it was a new day closer to Toby's possible death. She was tired. She was hungry. And her head was throbbing with a dull pain, due to overuse of her magic. But she would not sleep, eat or rest until she had learned how to break that damned charm. She loved Toby too much to let him succumb to the magical poisoning. It wasn't happening. No sir, not on her watch.

Summoning all her strength, Scarlett held her hands out in front of the crystal and put all her attention onto it. She could see the concealment charm that she herself had placed on it; she could even feel it in her blood. The real task was to find a way to obliterate it.

A stream of golden, glittering magic surged from her hands and made its way over to the crystal. Scarlett watched determinedly as her powers enveloped the crystal, and lifted it slightly off Jareth's hand. Wrapped in a warm, honey-coloured glow, the crystal began to levitate, bobbing up and down in the air.

_Come on, break, _she thought desperately into herself. _Break, you stupid crystal!_

She narrowed her eyes and tried to find the strength from within herself to heighten her magical powers. Jareth had said that when this was accomplished, she would feel it in her veins. But the only thing she could feel right now was a cocktail of fear, resolve, and burning hot anger.

After a few intense moments, it was apparent that nothing was happening to the crystal. In a fit of rage, Scarlett screamed angrily and threw up her arms in frustration, causing the connection between the crystal and her powers to break. Her chest began to rise and fall with vigour, as the crystal fell back into Jareth's hand, completely untouched and undamaged. Once again, she had been thwarted.

Stomping over to the side of the bed, Scarlett sank onto it with an irritated growl. She buried her face into her hands, just wishing that when she looked up again, Toby was healthy, and everything was as it was before.

Feeling tears beginning to pool behind her closed eyelids, Scarlett quickly brushed them away, not really wanting to cry in front of Jareth. As if things weren't bad enough without embarrassing herself further in front of the Goblin King.

"It's alright, Scarlett." He said kindly to her, sitting beside her on the edge of the bed.

Scarlett sighed deeply, feeling totally defeated. "It's not alright." She said harshly, though her tone was directed more at herself than towards Jareth. "I can put the stupid charm there in the first place. Why can't I just break it?"

"You're attempting magic beyond your years." Jareth replied understandingly. "It takes a huge amount of energy and physical strain to summon your higher powers, even someone who is at the relevant age to learn such an ability would struggle. Surely you realise that it will take time to perfect?"

"We don't have time."

Scarlett stood up and walked round to the other side of the bed where Toby was and gazed down at him sadly. Her boyfriend's life lay in her hands, she didn't have much more time for lessons and mentoring. If she didn't successfully perform this magic soon, then Toby would almost certainly die. She gently lifted her hand to his face and tenderly stroked his beautiful blond hair away from his eyes.

"He's getting colder." She whispered worriedly, knowing that the more heat he lost from his body, the closer he was to death. "Jareth, I… I don't think I'm going to be able to save Toby myself." She hatefully admitted. "You're right. I think I'm just going to have to ask my father to help us."

She looked over to Jareth and saw a mix of relief and curiosity in his eyes. "I think that's the best idea." He answered tactfully, rising to his feet and walking round to join her. "After all, your father is an immensely powerful elf, and could break that charm in a split second. However, are you ready to lift your secret? Are you happy to reveal who you really are, Scarlett? Because if you involve your father then I'm afraid Sarah will find out that he isn't a shoe cobbler, like you told her at dinner last night."

Scarlett sighed frustratingly and looked down at her hands. She really hadn't intended to lie about her father, but Sarah had been asking so many persistent questions about her family, and her plans after graduation. Questions that she didn't feel prepared to answer yet.

"I don't know." She whined hopelessly, looking up at him. "What would you do?"

"Well, in all honestly, I wouldn't have tried to hide who I was. I would have just told the truth in the first place." He said softly to her.

"Yeah, but I didn't. I wasn't honest and now I'm in this quandary." She moaned, putting her hands back over her face. "I'm a complete idiot."

"Come, now Scarlett, the daughter of the Elven King is not an idiot." Jareth replied compassionately to her, his eyes showing sincerity. "You just made a mistake. I'm afraid it's an inevitable part of growing up. Come to think of it, it's an inevitable part of life."

Despite her bleak feelings, Scarlett found herself smiling, grateful that Jareth was trying to lift her spirits. It was easy to see where Toby got his kindness from; being raised by a man with Jareth's benevolence had clearly moulded him into the boyfriend she knew and loved.

"Why are you so afraid of telling him you're a Princess?" There was no judgement in his voice, only concern.

She turned back towards Toby, lying lifeless on the bed, and put her warm hand into his icy one. So many times she wanted to tell him that her father was the King of Aszeryth Woods, the Elven Kingdom. Not a day had went by in their relationship, and even for the brief period they were broken up, that she didn't wish she could just tell Toby everything about being the Elven Princess. She longed to tell him about the constant war of emotions going on inside her, agonising about the decision she would eventually have to make, and what it would mean for their relationship.

Everything became blurred and misty, as Scarlett realised that tears were once more lining her eyes. One soft blink and they came tumbling down her face like raindrops, and she felt helpless to stop them. Suddenly everything felt ten times more out of her depth.

"Because I'm scared of losing him." It came out barely more than a fractured whisper. "But what scares me even more now, is that if Toby doesn't make it through this curse, he would die without ever knowing who I truly am; the real person who he put his love and trust into. Our relationship would have been a lie because the truth would never be known."

More blots of tears splashed onto her cheeks.

"But I swear, if he survives this curse, I'll tell him everything. There will be no more secrets." She lowered herself down so that her face was at eye level with Toby's and placed a tender kiss on his forehead. "I promise."

There was silence for a few minutes as Jareth allowed Scarlett to wipe away her tears and steady herself again. If there was one thing she was in awe of, it was individuals like Jareth who held so much power, strength and wisdom, who could bend anyone to their will, and yet they still chose to be kind-hearted to those in need. An extremely undervalued trait.

"Come on, Scarlett, let's try again with the crystal."

Scarlett glanced over to him with hopeless, weary eyes. Why? What was the point? It was obvious that no matter how hard she tried, no matter how much heart and soul she put into her efforts, she was never going to acquire her higher magical abilities in time to save Toby. She had no choice but to ask her father for help and expose her royal secret.

As if reading her mind, Jareth smiled at her. "Go on, I've got a good feeling this time."

Walking to the other side of the room, they both resumed their previous positions, and Scarlett held her hands in front of the crystal once more. "Ok. Here goes nothing." She sighed resignedly.

As before, the flow of golden Elven magic took hold of the crystal and lifted it into the air, as if it were being carried by a graceful autumn breeze. Higher and higher it floated, until it was well past Jareth's head, almost touching the white ceiling.

Scarlett focused hard on it, not taking her eyes off it for a second, Jareth's words ringing through her head; _The key is to concentrate and remain calm._

The magical glow became a shade brighter, turning it's golden hue to a vibrant yellow. Burning round the crystal like it was a glittering, fiery sun, it became even more illuminating, almost forcing Scarlett to shield her eyes, but she refused to listen to her basic instincts, and carried on channelling her magic into the crystal.

Suddenly, she was aware how hot the room had become, as wave after wave of heat seemed to be lashing over her, and she felt little beads of sweat spawning from her forehead, and uncomfortably trickling down her face.

The magic around the crystal intensified, turning to a blinding white light which agonizingly scorched Scarlett's eyes. She braced herself as her body began to shake, and violent tremors erupted as every ounce of her energy was being drained from her body and fed into the crystal. This was like no magic she had ever performed before. Using magic didn't usually hurt, but what she was feeling now was excruciating. It's what Jareth had warned her against.

_Concentrate and remain calm. _

The world around her became hazy and distorted, almost as if she were in one of her dreams, except she knew she wasn't dreaming because she had never been in so much pain. Her whole body felt like it was contracting from the inside, and the headache she was feeling before was nothing compared to the one she had now. A loud cry of pain erupted from her chest, and tears streamed down Scarlett's cheeks, mingling with the salty drops of her sweat. How much longer could she sustain this agony for? She wasn't sure, but judging from the battering that her nervous system was currently taking, she guessed not too much longer.

Apprehensively, Scarlett looked to Jareth, eyes wide with panic. She desperately needed to know what to do next, but her magic had turned into such a dazzling display of white and glitter, that she could no longer see him, or much of anything really. Suddenly she felt very anxious and out of control. This magic went far beyond her capabilities, what the hell was she even doing attempting it?

Just when Scarlett was about to break the magical connection, a strange sensation overtook her body. It was like someone had injected a very strong painkiller into her veins, and she felt herself floating, though she was still very much on the ground. It felt like tiny healing bubbles were coursing through her blood, taking away every bit of splitting pain in her body, and the centre of her chest bizarrely felt like it was warm and glowing with something that had been missing, something that every part of her elven intuitions told her she needed.

Her head began to spin, as though she was doing 120 miles an hour on a merry-go-round.

"Scarlett, it's time, let go of the connection." She vaguely heard Jareth's voice yell out from goodness knows where.

The last thing Scarlett remembered was a flash of light and an ear-piercing scream coming from the bottom of her lungs.

Then the conscious world, at least to her in that very moment, ceased to exist.

* * *

"Do you think she'll be ok?"

Distant sounds were the only thing she could make sense of right now. There was no colour, no light, no nothing. Just a sea of darkness, and those familiar distant voices.

"She'll be fine once she rests up a bit."

Scarlett had no idea how long she had been lying there for, but at last, light started to appear, and after a few moments Scarlett could feel her eyelids peeling back, as colours and shapes danced dizzily in front of her eyes.

Momentary darkness came again, as she rubbed her eyes with her hands. When she opened them, she saw three gravely concerned, familiar faces looking back at her, their eyes flooded with relief when they realised that Scarlett was awake and well.

"You alright there, lass?" Merrick's gruff voice boomed round the room. "That was quite a trial you put yourself through."

"I… I'm ok." Scarlett croaked, looking round at where she happened to be. She was resting in a huge, comfortable bed, just like the one in Toby's guestroom, but this room was decorated and coloured differently. "What happened? All I remember is a bright light and something that felt like my whole body was being torn apart." She brought her hand up to cradle her head, which was still feeling a tad sore and woozy.

"I want to show you something." Jareth said calmly.

Scarlett turned her head towards him, curious as to what it was he wanted her to see. In his outstretched hands lay several pieces of fragmented crystal, the light catching between them and making them gleam. Scarlett stared at them in disbelief, as the previous events started to return to her.

The charm… the crystal… Toby. It was all starting to come back to her.

"I… I did it." She said incredulously, her heart skipping an excited beat. "I broke the charm. I accessed my higher powers."

"You certainly did." Jareth smiled proudly at her. "And quite stupendously too, might I add. But that's not the only thing you achieved."

Scarlett gazed at him with a quizzical expression on her face, wondering what other feat she had seemingly accomplished.

"You see, Scarlett." He began. "You put every modicum of energy into learning how to break the charm, and your higher powers broke through forcefully, it was really quite spectacular. Not only did you break the charm on the crystal, but the charm that was on my mother's ring reacted to your magic as well, and it was also forced to break. I have never seen such magic performed by someone so young. You really are truly gifted."

Scarlett didn't have time to rejoice at this fantastic news, or ask any further questions, because right at that moment one very emotional Sarah threw her arms around her and gave her the biggest hug she had ever received.

"Oh, Scarlett!" She cried, her eyes sparkling with sincerity. "Because of you, Jareth and Merrick were able to identify the curse that was hiding in the ring, enabling them to administer Toby the right type of treatment. You saved him, and I can't thank you enough."

Scarlett's heart leapt higher than it ever had before. "Does that mean Toby is going to be ok?" She eagerly asked.

"We're hopeful about it." Merrick answered. "But the lad was about an inch away from death when we treated him. It was a particularly nasty curse placed on him. He should be alright, but it will take a few days for the effects of the curse to wear off. Once he starts feeling warm, we will know he's on the mend."

"Well done, Scarlett." Jareth said, his voice brimming with appreciation. "You have done tremendously. But conjuring such magic, especially at your age, takes a huge amount of health out of the body. You'll need to stay here for a few days and rest."

"Aye, let's leave her to it." Merrick growled, ushering everyone towards the door. "I've put a healing spell on you. You'll be good as new in no time."

Every part of Scarlett was sore and exhausted, but this nightmare was finally coming to an end. She would go through the pain a thousand times over if it meant Toby would be safe.

Scarlett lay back onto the deep, silken pillows, and the thought of wrapping her arms round Toby and raining endless kisses on his face made her smile softly.

He would likely fully recover and be back to his sweet, caring self in due time. She couldn't wait to play video games with him, or go for a drive, or even study together for their finals. She didn't care what they did, so long as he was healthy and happy, that's all that mattered to her.

Drifting slowly off to sleep, one final thought crossed her mind. No matter how she thought he would react, Scarlett would uphold her promise to Toby, and share everything about being an Elven Princess. It was the least he deserved.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N- Hi everyone, I am so sorry about how long it took to get this chapter up. I'm sure I don't need to go into detail about how hard things are at the minute. My inspiration took a hit while I worried about whether I still had a job or not. The answer is still unfortunately uncertain, but I didn't want to stop writing because it's something I love, and you all seem to like this story :-). As always thank you for the reviews and enjoy this new chapter!

* * *

Sarah bit her nails apprehensively and watched as Jareth paced up and down his office over and over again. He was muttering incoherently to himself, with the occasional "She's gone too far this time." and "The depths of her depravity never fail to amaze me." thrown in.

The last three days Sarah watched in awe as he had kept himself completely calm and composed as he dealt with the emergency of Toby being magically poisoned, and Scarlett practically running herself into the ground to save him. But nobody could keep their emotions locked up forever, and Sarah could see Jareth's rage was finally coming to the surface. Of course, lack of sleep and proper nutrition wasn't helping matters either.

After what felt like an eternity he finally stopped pacing, and with a heavy sigh, turned his back to Sarah. Jareth stayed perfectly still as he leaned against the wall and gazed out of the window, in deep contemplation. It was a beautiful sunny day in the Underground, and Sarah could hear the day-to-day noises of the Goblin City below as the inhabitants toddled about and did whatever it is that goblins do. It was such a pity that they couldn't enjoy the lovely weather, as unfortunately they were gathered here today to decide what path they were going to take to deal with Jareth's vindictive mother.

"Jareth?" Sarah asked softly, after a few minutes of inactivity from him. "Are you alright?"

"Does he look alright to you?" said the haughty voice of the person sitting parallel to her. "The King is very clearly under an enormous amount of stress."

Sarah narrowed her eyes and cursed inwardly to herself. The voice belonged to that of Eldridge, the most pretentious and arrogant person Sarah had ever had the displeasure of meeting. Eldridge was Jareth's Royal Advisor, much to Sarah's despair. He was a short, thin, red-haired man, whose face was permanently the same colour as his hair, because it seemed there was always something for him to get himself into a hullabaloo over.

Jareth turned back round towards the two of them, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose as if he were nursing a massive headache. "I'm fine, sweetheart." He said gently to her, forging a small smile. It was so like him to pretend he was ok to save Sarah of any worry. "Why don't you go and see if Toby and Scarlett are alright? You don't need to listen to all this talk about crime and punishment, you've already been through enough as it is."

Sarah's lips curled into a frown at that suggestion. She knew Jareth was just trying to spare her further stress, but she couldn't help feeling hurt that he was essentially telling her that her input wasn't needed.

"Yes, run along." Eldridge hissed goadingly at her, shooing her away with his hands. "His Majesty and I have important matters to discuss. None of which concern you."

Sarah let out a low, irritated growl. She had never met a person as rude and as condescending as this man. And she had come across some pretty ill-mannered and uncouth parents at her parent and teacher meetings.

"None that concern me?" Sarah shot him a disgusted glance. "In case you weren't aware, it was _my brother_ who was put under a life-threatening curse!"

"Actually, it wasn't _just _your brother who was put in grave danger. If you recall-" Eldridge started, but was cut short by a very livid looking Jareth.

"That's enough." Jareth boomed, directing a rather cautionary death stare at Eldridge, who in turn didn't so much as flinch. Clearly Eldridge was about to reveal something that Jareth didn't want Sarah to know. "Now, getting back to the subject-"

"What did you mean by that?" Sarah asked bluntly, not caring that she was rudely interrupting Jareth. "About Toby not being the only person in danger?"

"You mean you haven't told her?" Eldridge raised his wispy eyebrows so high Sarah thought they may fly right off his forehead. "Why ever not, Sire?"

"Haven't told me what?" Sarah replied irately, through gritted teeth. She was getting utterly fed up of being treated like a child who needed to be shielded from the truth. "Jareth, what is going on? And tell me honestly."

There was a quiet minute while Jareth continued to shoot daggers at Eldridge. He sighed angrily as he pulled out the chair behind his desk and lowered himself down to take a seat.

"Well, I suppose I should tell you _now_, seeing as I have no choice." His voice was dripping with reluctance and annoyance.

"Sarah, Eldridge and I have been discussing what happened in great detail. We've both agreed that there may be a significant chance that Toby wasn't supposed to be the intended recipient of my mother's curse, like we first thought. As a matter of fact, I really don't think she had her sights set on Toby at all, he was just unfortunate enough to get tangled up in this whole ghastly affair. The true victim was supposed to be…well, you."

Sarah bit down hard on her bottom lip and tried to suppress the sickening feeling that was gurgling in her stomach. Instinctively, her hand flew to her baby bump to shield it protectively. It was one thing to plot against Sarah, but to try and kill her while she was pregnant with Nighra's grandchild was unfathomable. "But why would she do that when I'm carrying the child she so supposedly loves?" She cried out bitterly. "And if she wanted me dead, why didn't the curse take to me instead of Toby?"

Jareth exchanged a concerned glance with Eldridge before answering. "When Scarlett removed the concealment charm from my mother's ring, Merrick and I were able to study the curse that resided inside it. This particular curse only affects humans. It's why Scarlett, Merrick and I did not fall victim to it."

"So why didn't _I_ fall victim to it then?" Sarah asked confusedly.

Eldridge scoffed loudly. "I think the answer to that is painfully obvious."

"Oh shut up, you pompous little man." Sarah shot at him angrily before she could stop herself. "How in the world do you expect me to know how curses work?"

"Thank you, Eldridge, I'll handle it. And don't speak to your future Queen in that manner." Jareth snapped as Eldridge rolled his eyes. "You know how the human immune system will naturally develop antibodies that will try and defend the body against whatever it sees as a threat?"

Sarah nodded, this is exactly what she taught her students about every day.

"Well, essentially a supernatural being will receive the same protection against any magical illnesses, including magical poisoning. This curse is deadly to humans, because of course they are not capable of producing antibodies to fight against it."

Sarah's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Ok, I understand that, but it still doesn't answer why it didn't affect me."

"You were made immune to the curse because you are pregnant with a fae child." Jareth continued. "The baby's magic effectively saved you. Now, here's the devious part of my mother's plan; she knew that while you carried my child that no harm would come to you. However, once you gave birth and lost the secondary immunity, then that curse would have struck you exactly like it did to Toby. And without Scarlett's elven abilities at hand, I would never have known the curse even existed. You would have died, Sarah. Our newborn baby and I would have been left without you and Toby."

She could only stare at him in horror. What a wicked, malevolent monster Nighra was. Sarah knew that she didn't like her but had no idea just how deep the High Queen's hatred for her actually ran.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, precious." Jareth's voice brought her out of her terrifying thoughts. "I didn't want you to suffer any more than you already have. I know that copious amounts of stress can harm a pregnancy."

"Which is exactly why we must declare war on the High King and Queen." Eldridge piped up, his face turning crimson as always. "Not only did Jareth's mother endanger you and your brother, but she put the royal babe at great risk as well."

"_**War**_?" Sarah couldn't keep the absolute shock out of her voice. "Now wait just a minute. You can't seriously be considering this?"

"She has left me no choice, Sarah." Jareth said angrily, his fists slamming down onto his wooden desk with a loud thud that rang through the room. "Don't you understand the severity of the crimes my mother has committed? I could have lost my entire family. Eldridge is correct, I must declare war on their kingdom. My mother must pay for what she has done."

"But, Jareth, your father hasn't done anything wrong, we don't even know if he is aware of what's happened." Sarah said anxiously. "Listen to yourself, this is a ridiculous idea and you know it is. You don't even mean it, you're just talking out of anger."

A small, humourless laugh escaped Eldridge's lips as he sneered over at her. "That may be due to the fact that His Majesty _is_ angry, and very much so."

Sarah leaned back into her chair feeling mixed up. She had never seen Jareth so bloodthirsty before. As validated as his feelings were, Sarah did not like it. She was annoyed as hell at Nighra too. Damnit, nobody wanted the woman's head on a plate more than her, and of course she deserved to suffer. But Sarah knew that what Eldridge was proposing was not the answer.

"Don't you think we have enough to deal with?" She asked exasperatingly. "We have two ill and exhausted teenagers upstairs. Toby's still in a coma for crying out loud." Sarah folded her arms, feeling very frustrated indeed. "Do you want your daughter to grow up and learn that her father declared war on her own family when her grandfather was completely innocent? How do you imagine she would feel then? There has to be a better way."

"Emotions should never obstruct the way of logic." Eldridge barked impertinently at her. "The King is at perfect liberty to declare war."

Sarah groaned uneasily. "Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. Think of the destruction that will ensue, all the innocent lives that will be lost."

Sarah reached across Jareth's desk and took his hands into her own. She searched his face for a sign, any indication of the compassion she knew he had buried somewhere deep within his heart. Under normal circumstances Jareth would never contemplate such a dire decision with so little regard to the consequences. He was a kind man, and when bringing up Toby he always taught him that violence was never the answer.

"Please, Jareth. Don't do this. Don't let your mother's spite turn you into something you're not. This isn't you."

After a tense minute, Jareth's frosty cold gaze melted away, and a redundant sigh left his lips. His eyes began to slowly glow with the benevolence that they usually held. "Sarah, I-"

**_Knock, knock, knock._**

The three of them groaned at the interruption and turned their heads towards the door. "Come in." Jareth uttered, his voice full of stress.

The door opened and in strode the tall, dark-haired healer that was Merrick. "Sorry to disturb you, your Majesty." His rough voice bounced round the walls of Jareth's office. "But I thought you'd be interested to know that the boy has awakened."

Merrick had to practically dive out of the way, lest he be knocked over by a hasty Sarah and her pregnant belly.

* * *

Sarah couldn't stop her tears from flowing when she saw her little brother conscious and smiling at her as she approached his bed. Toby was alive! He had survived the magical poisoning! He was still quite weak, but Sarah came to the conclusion that that was only to be expected after enduring a nasty, life-draining curse.

"Oh, Toby!" Sarah cried emotionally, throwing her arms around him and possibly squeezing all the air out of him. "You're ok! You're actually ok!"

"Well, I will be as soon as you stop crushing my lungs." He croaked jokingly.

"I've told him what happened to him." Merrick growled from the end of his bed as Sarah released Toby from her death grip. She was both shocked and delighted in equal measures. "About the curse and how Scarlett saved him."

"How are you feeling?" Sarah asked, looking down at him and sniffing back her tears.

Toby smiled frailly up at her and Sarah felt her heart soar with joy. A few days ago she didn't even know if Toby would be alive or dead. "Meh, I've had better days." He mumbled light-heartedly. "Mind you, it's no worse than the time I jumped from the roof onto the trampoline and took a one-way trip into our neighbour's rose bushes."

Sarah tittered at his jokey nature. Trust Toby to make light of a bad situation. Sarah knew he hid his pain behind humour as to not upset the people he loved.

"This is truly astounding." Jareth said, relief pouring from his voice. "Merrick, where is Scarlett? She should be here celebrating with us. After all it is she who made Toby's survival possible."

"I'll go get her, Sire." He said as he stalked out of the room and down the corridor. Sarah could imagine the look of pure happiness on Scarlett's face when she saw that Toby was alive and well. She had proven that she truly did love Toby, and Sarah was happy that her little brother had someone in his life who adored him and would do anything to protect him.

"Are you sure you're alright, Toby." Jareth asked caringly. "Can we get you anything? A drink of water perhaps?"

One wave of his hand and a glass of water appeared on Toby's bedside table.

"Thank you, Jareth. I'm ok though." Toby replied gratefully. "I just have one question to ask you."

"Anything, my dear boy." Jareth replied with sincerity, he couldn't stop the smile from plastering his face. "Ask away."

Toby took in a deep breath and a confused expression moulded onto his face.

"Who exactly is this Scarlett you speak off?"


End file.
